Ithaca hopes for federal grant for improvements to streets, bus-system

ITHACA — The city of Ithaca is hoping for a federal grant that would “transform” its bus system and make improvements to downtown streets, making them more “pedestrian- and bike-friendly.”

U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced they are pushing to secure a $10.7 million federal grant for that purpose.

The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant program, the lawmakers said in a news release posted on Schumer’s website.

Ithaca would use the federal money for work on “key” transit routes, including Stewart Avenue and College Avenue in the Collegetown commercial area near Cornell University, along with Cayuga and Albany streets.

The city would also use the funding to turn those streets into “Complete Streets,” with wider sidewalks, improved transit facilities, bike lanes, and green infrastructure, the lawmakers said.

As part of the project, the city of Ithaca would also integrate new technology into its bus-transit operation, providing real-time transit information for passengers, such as vehicle locations and arrival estimates to passengers, they added.

The funding would help redevelop the downtown pedestrian mall into a “major” transportation hub, complete with wider sidewalks, improved bus facilities, and new bike lanes, Schumer said in the news release.

“This grant would revitalize the Collegetown, Cornell University corridor and update the communications systems that allow passengers to see when buses are arriving and departing. This will not only encourage more residents and visitors to take advantage of bus transportation, but it will also make transit in the city of Ithaca safer and more efficient,” Schumer contended.

The lawmakers’ decision to push for Ithaca’s TIGER grant “bodes well” for the city in terms of future infrastructure improvements and job creation, Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick said in the news release.

Seeking the TIGER grant money is part of Ithaca’s larger effort to “completely rehabilitate and revitalize” its transportation system.

In 2012, the federal government awarded Ithaca a $4.5 million Federal Transit Administration (FTA) State of Good Repair grant and $1.8 million regional economic-development council grant to reconstruct its downtown Commons pedestrian mall as a transportation hub.

Ithaca would use the TIGER grant for additional improvements, including work to make the transit corridor between the Commons, Collegetown, and Cornell University safer and more accessible for passengers.

The improvements would include wider sidewalks, real-time transit updates, and improved communication systems, Schumer and Gillibrand said.

The senators are citing data from the U.S. Census Bureau in stating their case for Ithaca to win the grant funding.

Ithaca in 2010 ranked 7th nationally in residents who take public transportation to work, the lawmakers said.

More than 10 percent of Ithaca’s population depends on bus transit to make their daily commute, compared with 5 percent nationally.

More than 42 percent of Ithaca’s workers aged 16 and over commute by walking compared to more than 6 percent statewide and nearly 3 percent nationally, they said.

Schumer and Gillibrand believe it is “essential” that the city’s transportation system respond to increasing demands, given the scale of Ithaca’s dependence on public transportation and non-vehicular modes of travel, according to their news release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com