Steve Orr

@SOrr1

The city of Rochester and town of Brighton have been awarded $2.3 million in total to build a pair of bicycle or pedestrian paths, including the first local bike lanes along a highway that are physically separated from vehicular traffic.

The city received a $1 million federal grant to help build a "cycle track" along Elmwood Avenue. It would originate at the Genesee River, pass by the University of Rochester's River Campus and medical center and end at the Collegetown development on Mt. Hope Avenue.

In material submitted to City Council last summer, the total cost of the project was estimated at $1.8 million. The developer of College Town, the retail-office-housing development at Mt. Hope and Elmwood, was to contribute $340,000 and the city to provide funds as well.

The two bike-only lanes would be separated by a barrier from traffic on Elmwood. Such developments, not uncommon in other cities, allow for a higher volume of bike traffic while reducing the likelihood of car-bike collisions.

Brighton, meanwhile, received $1.3 million to build its portion of the Highland Crossings Trail, which will begin at the Genesee Riverway Trail north of the UR, pass through Highland Park and end at Brighton Town Park on Westfall Road, where it will connect to the Erie Canal trail.

The riding-walking path will be built along the western and southern edges of the Brickstone retirement community now being constructed off Elmwood, and then along the eastern edge of the property occupied by the Finger Lakes Developmentally Disabilities Service Office off Westfall.

Empire State College will be building its new campus on part of the Finger Lakes DDSO property, Brighton Supervisor William Moehle noted Wednesday, providing another constituency that can make use of the trail.

"This does serve a lot of different markets," he said. "We're very excited. It's a great project."

The town has secured needed property easements and has money in hand to pay its share of the project's costs. Moehle said construction will begin, and hopefully be concluded, this year.

The grants are from federal highway funds passed through the state Department of Transportation. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $67 million in grants for 63 pedestrian and bicycling projects statewide on Wednesday.

SORR@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/SOrr1