One of the most challenging gaps in the Erie Canalway Trail was recently closed, as the state marked the completion of major construction on a new pedestrian bridge over Interstate 481 and key sections of the trail in the Town of Dewitt in Onondaga County.
A key part of the project was the construction of a new bicycling and pedestrian bridge over I-481 in the Dewitt, which provides a link between Butternut Drive and Towpath Road just north of Kinne Road. A new trail section was also built along the entire length of Towpath Road, linking the trail almost to Erie Boulevard, where work to construct an additional stretch of off-road trail is underway. From Celi Drive to Widewaters Parkway, Towpath Road has been converted to a one-way road, with the trail constructed on the south side; and from Widewaters Parkway to just north of the Kinne Road intersection, Towpath Road will remain a two-way road, with the trail located on the south side.
Improvements have been made along the existing bike trail in the City of Syracuse along Water Street from South Franklin Street to Beech Street, including striping, new curb ramps, sidewalk repair, signage and some minor changes to the bicycle pattern. This project is part of a wider, ongoing effort to eliminate the largest gap in the Erie Canalway section of the Empire State Trail, a 14-mile stretch between Camillus, Syracuse and DeWitt. Additional construction of the Syracuse and Dewitt portions, including the Erie Boulevard East section of the trail are under construction and scheduled for completion in late 2020.
The projects are all a part of the Empire State Trail project, that when complete at the end of 2020 will result in New York having the nation’s longest state trail system, stretching 750 miles from New York City to the Canadian border and from Albany west to Buffalo along the Erie Canalway Trail.
Canalway Trail Times 
Thank you for this wonderful trail system!