Geneseo will receive $3.2 million for sidewalks along Route 20A, one of several newly awarded transportation projects across the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier that aim to make it easier to walk, bike and reach schools and community destinations.
The award is part of a state announcement of more than $97 million for 35 projects. The federal Transportation Alternatives Program pays for eligible public projects such as sidewalks, crossings, trails and links to transit; the New York State Department of Transportation administers the grants.
Geneseo Mayor Christopher Ivers said the new sidewalks are intended to connect the village's downtown, neighborhoods and commercial districts and improve links between the village and town. The award advances work identified in the village's comprehensive and active-transportation plans. The announcement does not give a construction start date or specify the full Route 20A segment.
Other regional awards
The village of Skaneateles received $734,421 to extend the concrete sidewalk on the east side of East Lake Street and build an asphalt trail connection from Prentiss Drive to the existing sidewalk network. In the Rochester area, Brighton received $1.4 million to rehabilitate an off-road section of the Lehigh Valley Trail and add signs, improving connections to the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology.
In the Southern Tier, Binghamton received $4.9 million to rebuild sidewalks and improve pedestrian and multimodal safety along Clinton Street. Mayor Jared Kraham linked the project to the city's broader downtown revitalization work. Painted Post received $1.2 million for a walkway and pedestrian crossings intended to improve routes to schools.
The same award round includes a $3 million Dryden Rail Trail project and $2.9 million for Newark's North Main Street sidewalks and a crossing signal near Lincoln Elementary School, both reported separately.
How the grants work
The state says sponsors competed for the awards based on project benefits and the program's transportation goals. Each project must be connected to the surface transportation system and open to the public. Individual awards range from $500,000 to $7 million.
The state can cover up to 80% of eligible project costs; each local sponsor must provide at least a 20% match. Eligible expenses may include planning, design, property rights, construction and inspection.
Statewide, officials grouped the funding into approximately $16.9 million for routes to schools, $52.8 million for sidewalks and pedestrian or bicycle safety, $11 million for multimodal connections, and $16.5 million for trail networks. Those categories cover projects beyond the local awards listed here. Each sponsor must still carry its project through design and construction under the applicable program rules.
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