For Immediate Release: July 30, 2007
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Relations | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK, NY – Adirondack Park Agency receives $210,000 in Federal Scenic Byway Funds for improvements to the West Branch Ausable River Corridor.
The Adirondack Park Agency recently received a federal grant award of $210,000 from the Federal Highway Administration’s Scenic Byways program. The Agency will utilize this funding to improve parking, signing, and interpretive exhibits along the Olympic Scenic Byway, specifically the NYS Route 86 portion that parallels the West Branch of the Ausable River between Lake Placid and Wilmington.
This grant is one of 19 New York State projects approved by the Federal Highway Administration in 2007 - totaling $1,179,416.00 statewide. The New York State Department of Transportation administers the Scenic Byways program in New York State.
The APA project covers an approximate eight-mile stretch of NYS Route 86 that parallels the West Branch of the Ausable River, one of the northeastern United States’ most popular trout fishing destinations. NYS Route 86 is also one of the most traveled highways in the Adirondack Park; it receives heavy recreational use from hikers, climbers, bikers, birdwatchers, skiers, snowboarders and sightseers. This corridor is also home to the endangered peregrine falcon. The peregrine falcon nests on the cliffs that line Wilmington Notch.
Agency Chairman Ross Whaley stated, “This Olympic Scenic Byways grant will fund significant improvements to a heavily traveled highway and river corridor expanding recreational opportunities and creating interpretive exhibits which will inform the public about the wonders of the natural world they are traveling. Agency staff plays an integral role in securing funds but relies significantly on our partners, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Conservation, to implement these projects.”
The Adirondack Park Agency, in cooperation with the NYS Department of Transportation, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Trout Unlimited, will improve roadside parking, expanding accessibility to trail and river resources, as well as develop interpretive signs and educational exhibits.
Since 1998, the Agency has secured nearly $2.5 million in federal transportation funding for 15 projects benefiting Adirondack Park communities along NYS Route 3 and Route 86 (Olympic Scenic Byway), NYS Route 73 (High Peaks Scenic Byway) and NYS Route 28 (Central Adirondack Trail).