Syracuse, N.Y. — For the many new Americans who have settled in Syracuse’s North Side neighborhoods, the Central New York Regional Market offers nearby access to fresh food.
But these same residents face a barrier in getting to the market – a distinct lack of pedestrian amenities to make it safe and easy to walk or bike there.
A $650,000 capital improvement project approved Monday by the Syracuse Common Council is aimed at fixing that problem. City lawmakers authorized the general fund spending for work that’s expected to take place in 2024.
At the heart of the project will be significant upgrades at the intersection of Hiawatha Boulevard and Park Street, where there are no crosswalks or sidewalks. But that’s a main gateway for residents in neighborhoods to the east of the regional market, where Census data show about 10% of people must walk, bike or take a bus to work, double the average for the region.
To tackle the problem, the city worked with the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council to study pedestrian access to the market area and come up with recommendations to improve the situation.
“Our goal is to help people get there safely and efficiently,” said Neil Burke, the city’s transportation planner and director of special products, at a council study session last week.
Work planned under the project OK’d by council will include sidewalk and bike path installations along Hiawatha and Park, along with crosswalk improvements. A new traffic signal has already been installed at the intersection, which makes vehicle traffic flow in a more pedestrian-friendly manner.
“That has been a real problem,” Councilor Pat Hogan said, referring to the ability of pedestrians from area neighborhoods to cross Hiawatha in order to get to the regional market, the regional transportation center, NBT Bank Stadium and other establishments.
Burke agreed, saying the pedestrian infrastructure in that area has “been languishing for quite some time.”
Additional work will likely follow the upgrades planned at Hiawatha and Park, city officials said. In addition, the city public works department is installing new sidewalks on residential streets nearby, with the 1300 block of Carbon Street and the 1600 block of 1st North Street completed earlier this year.
A Google aerial photo shows the lack of sidewalks and crosswalks at Hiawatha Boulevard and Park Street in Syracuse.Google
A map created by the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council outlines suggested pedestrian access improvements for the Central New York Regional Market neighborhood.Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council
City reporter Jeremy Boyer can be reached at jboyer@syracuse.com, (315) 657-5673, Twitter or Facebook.
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