Megan Brockett

mbrockett@pressconnects.com | @PSBMegan

How similar is Binghamton to Boston?

That depends.

Inside the former's City Hall on a chilly March morning, Mayor Richard David and Jack Williams, regional director of the New York State Department of Transportation, gave an overview of long-talked-about plans for a project they say will provide the Binghamton area with a major-city amenity.

The proposed Route 434 Greenway, a 2.5-mile pedestrian and bicycle trail linking downtown Binghamton to Binghamton University's main campus in Vestal, is moving closer to becoming a reality following the Southern Tier's $500 million win in the Upstate Revitalization Initiative late last year, according to David and Williams.

The perks of the estimated $16 million trail could span the spectrum, benefiting downtown economic development and improving the region's sustainability, health, walkability and recreational opportunities.

It will also boost Binghamton's standing as a rising city, according to David and the state DOT, increasing its similarities to some of the bigger metropolises in the country.

"If you think about it, ... when you go to Boston and you see the trail along the Charles River there, essentially that's what we'll have here," Williams said. "Seeing that trail ... lit up and pretty with people walking on it, it's just going to make the area feel alive ... It is transformative."

A changing blueprint

Plans call for the Route 434 Greenway to start at the South Side end of the South Washington Street Pedestrian Bridge and use the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge to cross Route 434, or the Vestal Parkway. The trail would then curl under the Pennsylvania Avenue off-ramp, and run next to the south side of the parkway, with the four lanes of road separating it from the river. It would connect to BU's campus at Murray Hill Road.

A pedestrian trail connecting downtown Binghamton and the university has been discussed for years.

In 2012, the DOT was considering three design options for the Greenway, all of which had the trail running along the river side of the Vestal Parkway before crossing the road near MacArthur Park and continuing on that side until the trail's end near BU.

The first option called for building a pedestrian overpass above the parkway to get trail users from one side of the road to the other.

The second option would have used an underpass to bring the trail across the parkway, building a culvert similar in appearance to the one near Confluence Park.

The third option called for installing a crosswalk and accompanying traffic lights on each side of the parkway near MacArthur Elementary School.

Williams said the decision process dating to 2012 turned up issues with each of the three design options: cost, maintenance and elevation issues with the overpass; flooding and security issues with the underpass; and safety concerns with the "at-grade" crossing near MacArthur Park.

The design the DOT ultimately decided to go with — the current plan of using the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge to cross the parkway and having the trail curl under the off-ramp — is the safest, he said.

The intersection of South Washington Street and Conklin Avenue, just after the South Washington Street Pedestrian Bridge, will be the trail's only conflict with traffic, and the traffic signal and the crosswalk there will be upgraded, Williams said.

Having the trail run along the side of the parkway closer to the South Side also allows for more trail access points. Under current plans, residents will be able to access the trail not just at the start and end, but at other points along the way, including near the area of Rush and Zane avenues on the South Side.

"It's very important that not only people from each end are able to access it, but the residents and neighborhoods it passes (by), there's opportunities for the community to access it as well," David said.

DOT officials will consider other trail access points based in part on input it receives from the public, Williams said. A public information meeting about the greenway is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. June 1 in the cafeteria of MacArthur Elementary School in Binghamton.

Positioning the project to move from the drawing board to a reality is the $500 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative prize, officials said.

While the 434 Greenway was not listed as a priority project for the Southern Tier, Binghamton University President and Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) co-chair Harvey Stenger said it is "near the top of the REDC's list for seeking approval from (the Empire State Development Corporation), which is the last step in securing funding."

Stenger said it is becoming increasingly clear that having a complete bike and pedestrian network is important to cement the link between the university's campus and downtown Binghamton.

"It would provide a critical pathway for our students, staff and faculty," he said in an emailed statement. "It would also be yet another attribute that would assist Binghamton in attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent."

Ripple effect

When the trail is completed, residents and BU students will be able to easily access downtown Binghamton in a whole new way, creating the potential for an added boost to an area already in the midst of a revitalization.

It will also extend the length of Binghamton's Riverwalk, which draws to a close now at the the South Washington Street Pedestrian Bridge.

Williams said he anticipates downtown will need more bike racks to accommodate trail users who want to stop and have lunch or patronize other businesses.

Sherry Eaton, owner of Garland Gallery on Washington Street downtown, said she thinks the trail will be a draw for everyone who enjoys bike riding.

"It's going to add an additional length to the Riverwalk, and I think it's going to be great for families," Eaton said.

But for others, the project raises concerns.

Mike Tulsey, who owns Zona & Co. Grille on Hawley Street, said great safety concerns with the trail outweigh its upsides.

He is worried about students walking back to campus late at night, in the winter, or after a night of drinking.

"Selfishly, I think it's a wonderful idea to connect people downtown via foot, however you get them here," Tulsey said. "But unselfishly, what happens if the last place they were here was Zona Grille and something tragically happens to them?"

Town of Vestal Supervisor John Schaffer shares some of those safety concerns.

Schaffer said he thinks it's great for the area, but is a little apprehensive about it.

"I think it's a bit dangerous," he said.

But DOT officials and David said the trail will be well-lit, and plans call for the installation of blue-light security boxes along the trail, like the ones on BU's campus, that connect to emergency dispatchers, David said.

David said the Greenway will actually make the parkway area, which has been poorly lit for years, safer.

"I think that this project is going to enhance safety along the Vestal Parkway," David say. "Because the reality is you do have people walking on the Vestal Parkway and riding their bikes with no official lanes or trail. So, this is going to be well-lit, it's going to be elevated, and the people on the trail are, for the first time, going to be protected from motorists."

A groundbreaking for the first phase of the project, from the South Washington Street Bridge to near Rush Avenue just beyond the overpass, is tentatively scheduled for the fall.

The goal is to complete the entire trail, from the downtown bridge to BU, by the end of 2018.

Follow Megan Brockett on Twitter @PSBMegan.