STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - GREAT KILLS, OAKWOOD, NEW DORP - The city Parks Department has completed 35 percent of a new section of bike path that will link New Dorp and Great Kills.



The long and winding two-mile path is expected to be completed by August, said Parks spokeswoman Tara Kiernan last week.



The path connects Miller Field in New Dorp to Gateway National Recreation Area and Great Kills Park.



Folks can see the beginning of the asphalt path at the end of New Dorp Lane, beyond Cedar Grove Avenue, New Dorp Beach, and across the street from the old airplane hangar on the grounds of Miller Field. It runs next to John D'Amato Field.



The path will cater to walkers, joggers and cyclists. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in April, when city Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said the agency is creating a network along the shore for bikes to ride on. He also added the path will keep those who want to exercise off the road, and hence, safer.



The projected winding path that runs parallel to New Dorp and Oakwood beaches on the East Shore comes with a $1.5 million price tag. It was funded with a $1.2 million grant from the state Department of Transportation, and $300,000 from a mayoral allocation of city funds.



Benches are included in the path's design, and there has been some "open space" left alongside the path for future development, which could include adult workout stations, an initiative the city Parks Department began pursuing for its parks last year, said Staten Island Borough Parks Commissioner Adena Long.



"There will be an additional parking lot that's being built as part of the project," Ms. Long said in April, according to Advance archives. "And in fact, we are looking at outdoor gyms throughout the Island, and the East Shore in general is definitely on my list of priorities."



In addition, city, state and federal governments signed an agreement to work together in future developments regarding park lands, such as this bike path, said Linda Canzanelli, superintendent of the Gateway National Recreation Area.



"Last June, Mayor Bloomberg and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salizar signed an agreement to work together and to manage our parks regardless of the boundaries," Ms. Canzanelli said. "This bike path is one of the great examples of how working together really does make the best use of tax dollars that support all of our parks."



In the last 10 years, about $113 million has been spent for 161 park improvements on Staten Island, and there is an additional $83 million either being spent right now or in the budget, Benepe said.



