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A bicyclist along the Onondaga Lake Trail in 2012. The trail will be expanding along the west side of the lake with money awarded today by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. David Lassman / The Post-Standard

(David Lassman / The Post-Standard)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced the award of nearly $4.5 million to Central New York communities for bicycle, pedestrian and multi-use path development.

Across the state, Cuomo awarded nearly $70 million for projects that include sidewalk construction, improved pedestrian access to public transportation services, the construction of bicycle lanes and pedestrian paths, and the conversion of abandoned railroad corridors for trail use.

The announcement comes the day after a coalition of bicycle and pedestrian activists pushed for Cuomo to fund $20 million for such improvements this year, and $20 million for each of the next four years.

A coalition of organizations representing bicyclists and pedestrians had stressed that New York State had the worst pedestrian and cycling safety record in the nation in 2012, with 27 percent of road fatalities involving a bicyclist or pedestrian.

Cuomo's announcement today exceeded what the coalition had requested.

"We are very happy," said Nadine Lemmon, a spokesperson for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, one of the organizations that lobbied for money. "This is beyond what was anticipated for this particular round of funding."

Onondaga County was awarded $1,530,000 for a portion of the Onondaga Lake Canalways Trail along State Fair Boulevard.

In Cayuga County, Auburn was awarded $1,322,000 for construction of a portion of the Owasco River Greenway Trail. The money will fund a little over a mile of a planned six-mile trail. The funding will cover a section from downtown Auburn, south to the city's Mill Street Dam, said Christina Selvek, director of capital projects and grants for the city's planning department. Construction would not start until 2015, she said.

In Madison County, two projects were funded: a portion of the Oneida Rail Trail between Wampsville and the city of Oneida; and a street enhancement project along South Peterboro Street in the village of Canastota.

In Cortland County, Cortland was awarded $544,000 for enhancement of the city's northeast gateway along Clinton Avenue.

The Mohawk Valley region was awarded roughly $4 million, including $680,000 to the village of Herkimer for street enhancement and $350,000 to Rome for streetscape improvements.

The funds announced come to the state through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and are administered by NYSDOT. The funds will cover 80 percent of project cost. With 20 percent covered by local sponsors, the projects amount to an investment of $96.5 million.

Contact Dave Tobin at 470-3277, dtobin@syracuse.com or via Twitter: @dttobin

