Plans to build the final and most challenging segment of Onondaga Lake’s Loop the Lake trail are moving forward. The 2.3-mile pathway would connect Onondaga Lake Park to Syracuse’s Inner Harbor.
The trail traverses some difficult terrain, including environmentally sensitive areas and dense urban infrastructure. This all requires multiple approvals from the state and federal levels. The county’s transportation commissioner Martin Voss told legislators they’re trying to tip-toe around these complex areas.
“We literally are doing ballet on this to avoid icky spots that we don't want to touch like gas lines, utilities, sewer pipe, railroad tracks, highway on-ramps, and the salt ponds," he said at a facilities committee meeting last week. "We're going to build a plank boardwalk over the salt ponds because those are historic feature that you can't disturb.”
One of the more complicated parts of the final segment is around the notorious railroad bridge over Onondaga Lake Parkway. Voss said there's limited space because of the bridge, roadway, and close proximity to the shoreline.
“We could conceivably get a six-foot trail under that railroad bridge and still have safety and still have room for traffic," he said. "We are in frequent communication with the state about what changes and improvements they're going to make because there's a lot of differing opinions about what should happen there. Obviously we have a strong opinion that it needs to be narrowed and that road needs to be de-emphasized for use because we know there's already volume issues in Liverpool.”
The parkway already narrows to one lane in each direction under the bridge.
As the trail gets closer to the mall, Voss said the boardwalk that dead ends on Murphy’s Island would be extended.
"There's just sort of a roundabout there, a clearing, and a bunch of trees. It's nice and peaceful, but you can't go any further," he said. "So that little terminus will go away and you'll go a few hundred feet in and then you're going to go up onto another bridge, cross the tracks, come down by the 81 on-ramp south from the parkway.”
Voss estimates this final leg of the trail project will cost tens of millions of dollars and take years to complete. Work could begin as soon as next spring.
Onondaga County Lawmakers are scheduled to discuss an item seeking state environmental approvals for the project at their ways and means committee Tuesday. Legislators could advance it to their Aug. 4 session agenda.
