Scenic 3 Phase 1

[Magdalen Jhonston]

TheNew YorkState Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) hasannounced the beginning of the scoping process for phase three of the removalof the Niagara Scenic Parkway, between Findlay Drive in the City of NiagaraFalls and Center Street in the Village of Lewiston.

The scopingprocess, which will be led by Bergmann (which has joined Colliers Engineering& Design), willconsider broad alternatives for creating a sensitively configuredtransportation network along the Niagara Gorge, and will include trafficstudies, environmental review, development of design alternatives and publicengagement. The entire scoping and preliminary design process is expected towrap up by August 2025.

While New YorkState Parks will be the lead agency, the City of Niagara Falls, the Town andVillage of Lewiston, the New York State Department of Transportation, USANiagara and the New York Power Authority will serve as partners.

The New YorkState Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches andmore, which saw a record 79.5 million visits in 2022. For more information onany of these recreation areas, visit parks.ny.gov, download the free NY State Parks Explorermobile app orcall 518.474.0456. Joins us in celebrating our Centennial throughout 2024, andconnect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the OPRHP Blog.

Once arrived, individuals may call (432) 268-2800 to check in. Vaccinations will be scheduled regularly on Wednesday and Friday starting tomorrow and continue to be scheduled while doses are available. Please call (432)-268-2800 or visit scenicmountainmedicalcenter.org to check the status of vaccine availability before heading to the hospital.

The vaccine will be available to individuals over the age of 65 and people with medical conditions that put them at a greater risk of severe disease or death from COVID-19. Medical conditions include but are not limited:

Scenic Brook Pocket Park is a small neighborhood park in southwest Austin. The park received a concept plan in 2019, and the first phase of development is currently in the construction phase. City Council District 8

Located at 7300 Oak Meadow Drive, Scenic Brook Pocket Park is approximately 0.89 acres of undeveloped parkland in Council District 8. Situated along a tributary of Williamson Creek, a large portion of the lower part of the park is in the Critical Water Quality Zone, and contributes its runoff to Barton Springs.

In 2016, the neighborhood association deeded the land to the City of Austin, with hopes that the land could serve as the greater area as a public park and green space. In 2019, the neighborhood applied for a design grant through Austin Parks Foundation to create a concept plan for the park. The plan was approved in 2020, and funding was allocated for Phase One of development.

Objectives of the first phase include making a safe, accessible and usable park space for the neighborhood to enjoy, based on the priorities and feedback the community provided during the concept plan community engagement.

Phase I and Phase II state and federal environmental review was completed in 2019 and 2021. Phase I and Phase II final design and permitting are scheduled to be complete in 2023 and construction funding is programmed for 2024. Phase III is scheduled to complete environmental review in 2024, design in 2025, and begin construction in 2027.

The multi-use path cantilevered off the San Lorenzo River Railroad Trestle was completed in 2019. Preliminary engineering and environmental review will be complete in 2023. Final design is scheduled for completion in 2024 and the project is scheduled to go to construction in 2025.

The project, with the exception of the Capitola trestle, began the environmental phase in 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2023. The final design phase is expected to be completed in 2025. The project is scheduled to go to construction in 2026.

This project is being completed as part of the Highway 1 (State Park Drive to Freedom Boulevard) Auxiliary Lanes and Bus-on-Shoulder project. Environmental, right of way, and design work is scheduled to be completed by 2023, and pending funding availability, could go to construction in 2025.

The broad vision is for a Trail Network project that will span the coast of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary from the San Mateo/Santa Cruz County line to Pacific Grove, in Monterey County. The RTC is leading the planning effort for project development in Santa Cruz County and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is responsible for Monterey County projects. This approach will ensure that the planned bicycle/pedestrian network will provide connectivity throughout the county and into the Monterey Bay region, and serve as the California Coastal Trail in Santa Cruz County.

With two phases of the Niagara Scenic Parkway removal completed, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation this week announced it is embarking on a scoping process for phase three of the project next month.

According to State Parks spokeswoman Angela Berti, the scoping process, led by Colliers Engineering & Design, will consider broad alternatives for creating a sensitively configured transportation network along the Niagara Gorge between the southern part of Whirlpool State Park on Findlay Drive in Niagara Falls, north to Center Street in the Village of Lewiston.

It will include traffic studies, an environmental review, the development of design alternatives and public engagement, with the entire scoping and preliminary design process expected to wrap up by August 2025.

The second phase of the project, completed in the fall of 2021, focused on the removal of a 2-mile corridor from Main Street to Findlay Drive, with expressway lanes, a viaduct and interchanges replaced by trail networks and gorge overlooks. Nearby Whirlpool Street and part of Third Street were reconstructed as slower two-lane roads with improved pedestrian access.

A public meeting is scheduled for Feb. 6 in the Castellani Building at DeVeaux Woods State Park, 3160 DeVeaux Woods Drive, Niagara Falls. There will be project displays to review, and staff from State Parks will be available at 5:30 p.m. A presentation on the project is set for 6:30 p.m.

While New York State Parks will be the lead agency, the City of Niagara Falls, the Town and Village of Lewiston, the New York State Department of Transportation, USA Niagara and the New York Power Authority will serve as partners.

The state has determined it's feasible to create a bike- and pedestrian-friendly corridor running along Scenic Highway from East Pensacola Heights to U.S. 90, and now it's up to local authorities to prioritize the next step in developing the scenic coastal trail.

"I very much look forward to moving this forward in some fashion that connects these two and gives everybody on the east side of Pensacola great access to safe biking and walking trails that can also take in the beauty that coastline has to offer," Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender said at a Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization meeting Wednesday. "I think it's a great opportunity and look forward to moving it forward."

Florida Department of Transportation project manager Olen Pettis told the TPO board Wednesday that there are some barriers to overcome, such as steep drop-offs up to 50 feet along the bluffs area and residential driveways, but overall the project is viable enough to move forward.

A preliminary map given to the board shows one long stretch from south to north on the route with multiple offshoot loops, like adding a connector road project on Summit Boulevard to join Spanish Trail in a loop and again at Creighton Road and Ninth Avenue.

TPOs generally prioritize transportation projects and recommend them to FDOT, which in this case would urge the state to move ahead with the second phase, called a PD&E (Project Development and Environment) study to include a more in-depth analysis of the idea.

Pensacola City Councilwoman Ann Hill said the trail is significant and it's something she could see being prioritized on the city level as it aligns with what the mayor and council have been pushing for recently. The city is currently working through multiple bike- and pedestrian-focused roadwork projects including the downtown Hashtag Connector project, waterfront access and road diets on main thoroughfares.

Emerald Coast Regional Council CEO Austin Mount, whose agency facilitates the TPO meetings, said this connector would be an important element of the overall trail connection in the area, especially as it so closely aligns geographically with plans to build out a U.S. 90 connection into Milton next.

"As these two trails kind of come together, this will be the most important connector piece because the two trails will almost actually touch," he said. "Trying to connect these two trails will be tremendous economic impact for Pensacola and so we're happy to work with the city, happy to work with the county to continue the projects on this."

Scenic Byway corridors should be identified during the Scoping phase. Pre-scoping engagement activities should include a discussion of with local stakeholders when the intrinsic qualities or traveler experience of the scenic byway are impacted. Example: tree/vegetation removal, re-alignment, shoulder improvements, waysides, signage. A Visual Impact Assessment may help identify these impacts and suggest mitigation or enhancement. Scheduling the Visual Impact Assessment is determined by the Project Manager in coordination with Environmental Assessment Unit (NEPA) and the Environmental Planning and Design Unit. Project Managers should contact the Statewide Scenic Byways Program Coordinator to discuss potential impacts, corridor management plan implementation opportunities and connect you with the byway organization.

See Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plans for the most current plans. Each Scenic Byway has a Corridor Management Plan (CMP). A Corridor Management Plan (CMP) is written and developed by the communities and transportation agencies along a scenic byway. It outlines how to protect, enhance, and promote the byway's intrinsic qualities and character.

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