Schenectady, N.Y. — Mayor Gary McCarthy today joined with Metroplex to announce that the Erie Boulevard project is ready to roll with the final approval by New York State DOT and the Federal Highway Administration for the City of Schenectady to advertise for bids for the project. The advertisement soliciting bids will distributed this week with the responses due back in late March.
The Mayor said, “Everyone in Schenectady understands how pivotal fixing Erie Boulevard is to the future of our City. The new Erie Boulevard will feature landscaping, sidewalks, bike lanes – a whole new look for this roadway which is the major entry point to Schenectady. We appreciate the support provided by NYS DOT, the Capital District Transportation Committee and the federal government for providing the funding needed to move this critical infrastructure project forward.”
The $11 million construction phase of the project is being paid for with 95% federal and state funds.
Mayor McCarthy added, “We expect this project to help us create opportunities for new jobs and new tax base along the section of Erie Boulevard to be renovated which goes from I-890 to Union Street. On either end of Erie we have major new investments underway from the recent expansions at GE Energy to the redevelopment of the former Alco plant, the new Erie Boulevard will help showcase all that Schenectady has to offer.”
City Council President Denise Brucker said, “The redevelopment of Erie Boulevard provides the City and its residents with so much opportunity to create jobs and new tax base. It’s exciting to hear that the project is ready to roll. Our administration has done a fantastic job of moving this project forward.”
Ray Gillen, Schenectady County Metroplex Chair said, “We thank the Mayor and his staff and the City Council for moving forward with this critical project. We have made so much progress in downtown from Broadway to the Proctors Block to Jay Street to the new Golub Headquarters. Renovating Erie Boulevard provides a key link from the Proctors Block helping us to spread redevelopment into the Erie corridor and to lower State Street where our downtown development work is now headed. With the official launch of this much awaited project, we can now look forward to finishing the redevelopment of downtown. The old Erie Boulevard was a stumbling block; the new Erie will help us attract more investment and jobs to our resurgent downtown.”
Construction will begin this spring with work expected to be completed by the end of 2013.
CHA is the designer and engineering firm coordinating the Erie Boulevard project. The City Department of Public Works is implementing the project at the direction of Mayor McCarthy and Director of Operations William Winkler.