Contact: Poulomi Sen, Senior Planning Project Manager
Department of Planning & Development
ALBANY, NY – A project designed to add public amenities to a portion of the South End Connector Trail is scheduled to begin construction the week of July 17.
Phase Two of the South End Connector project will further activate a half-mile portion of the City’s first physically separated two-way cycle trail that runs underneath I-787 along the South End neighborhood from Church Street to the intersection of Broadway and Quay Street.
The City of Albany conducted extensive public outreach to reimagine the trail as a linear park to better serve the public, particularly residents of the South End neighborhood. In keeping with public recommendations, the improvements include seating, designated spaces for food trucks/vendors and pop-up events, an outdoor gym space and a half-court basketball court, and other recreational amenities.
Renderings of the proposed improvements will be posted along the construction site and can be viewed on the project page. The improvements are expected to be completed in September, and the trail will remain operational during the construction period.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, “When we started the South End Connector project several years ago, I asked that we explore all the potential of this important bike and pedestrian connector, and this project continues to do just that. We have already created the City’s first physically separated two-way cycle trail – a corridor that has made it safer and more environmentally friendly for residents and visitors alike to travel between Albany’s South End and Corning Preserve – and now we are about to further activate area around the trail so that residents have space for gatherings and recreational activities. Thank you to our residents, the Department of Planning and Development, and each of the state, local, and private partners who have come together to plan and deliver this important addition to our City.”
A portion of this project is funded by grants from the Recreational Trails Program, an assistant program of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (RTP -175160), and the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley Inc. (2018-A-01), a public benefit corporation sponsored by New York State.
About the South End Connector
The 1.5-mile South End Connector features the first physically separated two-way cycle track in the City. The trail is protected by a landscape buffer from the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trailhead to the Interstate 787 Frontage Road. At Church Street, the protected trail continues underneath Interstate 787 for a walk or ride all the way to the Mohawk Hudson Hike-Bike Trail connection. The South End Connector also provides traffic calming measures along South Pearl Street, slowing traffic and creating a direct route for the residents of the South End to access Corning Waterfront Park.
The South End Connector is also a part of the Empire State Trail, a continuous 750-mile route spanning the state from New York City to Canada and Buffalo to Albany, which when opened became the longest multi-use state trail in the nation.
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