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A critical missing link in the Erie Canalway Trail in Lyons will be constructed beginning this year as crews continue their work on the trail between Newark and Lyons.
Once completed, the new 1-mile trail segment between Abbey Park and Erie Canal Lock 27 will link to an Erie Canalway Trail segment currently under construction in the towns of Arcadia and Lyons, helping to create a 134-mile uninterrupted trail route from Lyons to Buffalo.
The Lyons Erie Canalway Trail project will be constructed with Canal Corporation funds in partnership with Wayne County and the Village of Lyons. Features will include a new 10-foot wide asphalt trail, as well as informational and directional signage.
Announcement of new trail construction came as more than 500 cyclists from around the country put foot-to-pedal for the 14th annual Cycling the Erie Canal event, a 400-mile bicycling tour along the route of the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany.
“As we welcome the riders participating in the annual Cycling the Erie Canal event [Tuesday], we also look forward to the new travelers that the finished trail section will bring to Lyons, and throughout the corridor,” Lyons Mayor Corrine Kleisle said. “Governor Cuomo and the Canal Corporation deserve high praise for making this a reality.”
The Lyons Erie Canalway Trail segment is part of the statewide Erie Canalway Trail linking the Hudson River and Lake Erie. More than three-quarters of the 348-mile Erie Canalway Trail from Buffalo to Albany is now completed. A 2007 study estimated that the Erie Canalway Trail generates approximately $42 million annually in economic benefits to communities and businesses along the Trail.
Local officials broke ground on May 2 near Lock 28B at Clinton and VanBuren streets in the village of Newark on the portion of the trail that would connect Newark and Lyons. Crews began working about mid May on Old Lyons Road near Zurich Road clearing trees and heavy brush along the canal to County House Road. The town of Lyons provided equipment to help clear the heavy brush and trees from the area and Lyons officials also agreed to work on the benches and kiosk at Lock 28. They are expected to reach the dry docks in Lyons by the end of summer.
With the start of work on the trail in the village of Lyons, the trail through eastern Wayne County will finally be complete.
“I’m pleased that the canal trail is going to be completed in eastern Wayne County,” Assemblyman Robert Oaks said. “The Erie Canal has played a vital role in this county in terms of history, tourism, community identity and economic development. The canal is an important component to what makes this region significant; it is a draw for bikers, hikers, boaters and other tourists. Having the path complete in this area has been one of my goals.”
Filed under: Erie Canalway Trail, Finger Lakes, Trail Building Tagged: Erie Canal Lock 27, Lyons NY, Newark NY 
