The State Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that Manlius and Skaneateles will receive federal highway money for projects meant to make walking and biking safer. Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez announced the awards at Eagle Hill Middle School on Enders Road. The town of Manlius will receive $1.1 million to build sidewalks that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dominguez said the sidewalks will give students safe routes to the middle school and an elementary school and will connect to the high school.
“Transportation safety is public safety,” Dominguez said. “Keep in mind, we're talking about walking. We're talking about kids getting access to school. But, I also want to make sure that drivers understand that everybody has a responsibility in safety. Absolutely everybody. So, if you're driving a car, driving a truck, keep in mind your job is to focus on driving. And this is Pedestrian Safety Awareness Month.”
The project also includes pedestrian crossing signs with flashing beacons to alert drivers to walkers and bikers. Crews will install guide rail along the road to keep cars from parking there.
“Children are going to be able to walk safely to and from school. They’re going to be able to bike to and from school,” Dominguez said. “We can’t put a price on that.”
The Enders Road money is part of $97.1 million in grants that Gov. Kathy Hochul was set to announce statewide. About 30 communities will receive funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program, which supports non-motorized travel. The state administers the competitive grants, which come through the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Dominguez said about $2 million will go to Central New York. That includes about $750,000 for the village of Skaneateles to extend sidewalks and build an asphalt trail that connects to its existing sidewalk system, Dominguez said.
Residents petitioned the Enders Road project, Manlius Town Supervisor Sarah Bollinger said. The town responded to a request from neighbors, and Monica Browning spoke for them, Bollinger said. Residents collected 600 signatures in favor of the sidewalk.
“The residents of this community want their children to be able to walk, and they want to walk themselves, and they want to walk their dogs,” Bollinger said.
She said the project was the town’s first effort to carry out a longer-term plan to expand pedestrian and bike access. Thomas Long, the school resource officer at Eagle Hill Middle School, said parents and community members had complained about children walking along the road.
“There is a large stretch here that doesn’t have any sidewalks,” Long said.
