Spring has sprung and the flowers are in bloom – time to get out on our region’s incredible trails to celebrate National Bike Month! Each week this month, MTR will be profiling trails in the Tri-State area. 

Once completed, New York’s Erie Canalway Trail, running from Albany to Buffalo, will be the longest, off-road, continuous statewide multi-use trail in the nation.

Advocates teamed up in 2010 to launch a “Close the Gaps” campaign, and, with the guidance of Parks & Trails New York (PTNY), Canalway Trails Association New York and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, progress is being made. More than 32 miles have been rehabilitated or constructed during Governor Cuomo’s time in office, and according to the most recent progress report, the trail is 78 percent complete, with 281 miles of the trail now open to the public. The goal is to have the remaining 79 miles under construction, or at least in design, by 2017— the bicentennial of shovel-in-the-ground for the original Erie Canal.

Twenty-five of those remaining 79 miles of trail have an identified funding source and will be under way in the next three years. The remaining 54 miles are still in limbo, either lacking funding or struggling with right-of-way issues. The final chunk of change that is needed is estimated to be $40.3 million—relatively cheap in an era of $4 billion bridges.

The trail has proven to be an economic powerhouse. According to a 2014 study by Parks & Trails New York, the trail gets 1.58 million visits per year, produces $253 million in economic impact and supports 3,440 jobs in the corridor. More than 3.7 million New Yorkers live in the 200 communities adjacent to the trail.

If you’re interested in taking a spin, check out PTNY’s 17th annual “Cycle the Erie Canal” bike tour this July, which brings more than 500 cyclists upstate to “Enjoy great scenery, interesting history, and unparalleled cycling on this 8-day, 400-mile adventure.”

And if you’re an elected official wondering what you can do to help, PTNY has some suggestions:

• Help to establish an annual, $20 million fund dedicated to statewide bicycle and pedestrian projects
• Push to include the Trail in local and regional economic development plans
• Represent the interests of the Trail with state and local agencies, including DOT and local transportation departments
• Broker negotiations with utilities and other landowners for use of existing rights-of-way (ROW) and with local and state governments for creation of new on-road ROW where necessary.