Public Information Meeting.  On May 24^th the New York Canal Corporation and consulting engineers from contractor Stantec, Inc. presented their plan to renovate the Erie Canal Path between Pittsford and Perinton.  The eight mile section from Monroe Avenue in Pittsford to Cobbs Lane in Perinton was last rehabilitated in 1993 and is long overdue for a major rework. The paved sections in Pittsford Village and Fairport Village have pot holes and extensive tree root damage.  The "stone dust" trail between the Villages has mud puddles when it rains and turns to fine dust with every summer dry spell.  Trail widths in both sections vary from 6 to 10 feet.  Shoulder widths vary from 0 to 5 feet.  Railing heights and types (pipe, wood, chain, etc.) vary widely.

The attendance at the meeting was disappointing, given that the eight mile section from Monroe Avenue in Pittsford to Cobbs Lane in Perinton is the most popular section of Canal Path in Monroe County.  A count of trail users done in 2008 estimated summer monthly traffic at Schoen Place and Perinton Park in the 20,000 to 30,000 range. 

About half of the estimated 40 attendees seemed to be from the Canal Corporation, Stantec and Public Works Departments of the two towns.  Following a 20 minute presentation of the project by Stantec, the floor was opened for public comment.  The public at the meeting seemed to be split between two user groups:  bicyclists who argued strongly for paving the heavily used trail and walkers who wanted to keep the stone dust surface.  Of course, that argument was moot due to financial constraints.

And you will have to put up with the current trail conditions for at least another two years.  The project schedule calls for Preliminary Design in 2011, Final Design in 2012, a contract to be let in December 2012 and actual construction in 2013.

Project Details.  The existing paved sections in Pittsford Village and Fairport Village will be resurfaced, eliminating the pot holes and tree route damage.  The long stretch of stone dust trail between the two villages will be renovated with a new stone dust surface.  The State has an improved stone dust standard that is claimed to produce surface that is more resistant to wear.

The planned safety improvements address 1) general issues of trail width, shoulder width and guard rails at multiple locations and 2) areas of heavy pedestrian use at Schoen Place and Perinton Park.  The project objectives are to standardize the trail width at 10 feet where possible and at an 8 feet minimum.  The shoulder width will be set at 5 feet on the canal side and 3 feet on the land side.  Guard rails will be standardized at 55 inches in height.

Schoen Place and Perinton Park present special problems for the project with their combination of heavy pedestrian use and narrow trail, e.g., the Perinton Park trail section along O'Connor Road is at most six feet in width.  The project plan calls for construction of a bulkhead at both locations to allow more width for the trail.

Another special problem area in Perinton is at the Lift Bridge.  The current trail is too narrow and has a set of stairs that are not ADA compliant.  The project plan calls for investigating rerouting the trail along Lift Bridge Lane bypassing the stairs and tunnel under Main Street and the busy dock area.  The bypass is familiar to most bicyclists using the trail in Fairport Village.  A personal area of concern as an occasional user of this bypass is the safety of crossing Main Street without a traffic light.   

Submitted by:  Tom Perry