Laberge Group was retained by the City of Albany to prepare a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) for the design and construction of a South End Bikeway Connector. The $650,000 grant will be used to build a multi-use trail located in the City of Albany’s South Waterfront District. This project will provide a critical link between the recently constructed regional Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail, and the statewide Mohawk-Hudson Bike Trail.

The successful grant application sought equal funding from two sources:

• The Local Waterfront Revitalization Program – for continuing public access along the Hudson River, expanding trails, linking to regional networks, and targeting blighting influences.
• The Climate Smart Community Program – for promoting clean transportation which would contribute to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The trail will also contribute to an integrated multimodal transportation system, as it would connect to CDTA bus service downtown, throughout the region, and to the southernmost Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station planned. Further, as CDTA provides bike racks on all buses, people will be able to use the bus in combination with the bicycle to reach destinations previously inaccessible – such as job, education and other activity centers.

A conceptual design having been completed, the project will encompass final design and construction, including coordination with stakeholders and at least one public meeting.