Greenburgh gets $6 million for new sidewalks

Town of Greenburgh awarded more than $6M in grants for sidewalks on Old Army Road and Knollwood Road

On June 20, 2024, NYS Governor Hochul announced that the Town of Greenburgh was awarded two Federal Highway Administration (FHA) Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grants for two important projects:

A $3,859,742 TAP grant was awarded for Old Army Road which will facilitate the design and construction of pedestrian improvements including sidewalks, ramps, crosswalks, etc. The sidewalk will span approximately 4,200 linear feet and enhance connectivity to Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School, Seely Place Elementary, the Scarsdale Metro North Station, and the Central Avenue corridor.

A $2,341,220 TAP grant was additionally awarded to the Town for Knollwood Road (NYS Rt. 100A) which will facilitate the design and construction of pedestrian improvements including sidewalks, ramps, crosswalks, etc. The approximately 1,600 linear foot sidewalk will span from Knollwood Shopping Plaza (Acme Supermarket) and extend north to the Greenburgh Preserve residential development. In terms of connectivity, when complete, this segment will complement another TAP grant award the Town previously received for West Hartsdale Avenue (also Rt. 100A) which is a sidewalk/pedestrian safety project in design (6,000 linear feet sidewalk) spanning Four Corners to Pat Capone Road, which will link the Hartsdale Train Station to Rt. 119 with one consistent sidewalk.

TAP grants are administered by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and implemented by local governments. The Old Army Road and Knollwood Road TAP grants announced June 20 will be the 4thand 5th that the Town has received since 2018. In addition to the East-West Hartsdale TAP grant, which is in design, the Town used TAP grant funding to complete a sidewalk on Central Avenue from Four Corners south to Marion Avenue. On Hillside Avenue, the Town is nearing completion of a sidewalk from Town Hall to North Road with a TAP grant. The program provides significant funding that is combined with local matching funds for projects that offer alternatives to auto-trips.

The Town Board has supported a variety of pedestrian safety initiatives which have resulted in or will result in the construction of over 11 miles of sidewalks in the last 9 years, representing significant quality of life and safety enhancements for residents. In addition to the sidewalks, drainage improvements are often installed, as are pedestrian signals, striping, etc.

The next steps for the Old Army Road and Knollwood Road TAP grant projects will be to enter into contract with NYSDOT and to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) for surveying/engineering design, working towards potential construction in 2026.

The entire Town Board (Supervisor Paul Feiner and Councilmembers Francis Sheehan, Gina Jackson, Ellen Hendrickx and Joy Haber) commend Community Development & Conservation Commissioner Garrett Duquesne for his ability to enhance sidewalk walkability in the Town as well as address other critical infrastructure needs. His tireless research, compilation of support letters and award-winning grant writing has resulted in significant funding for infrastructure improvements that would otherwise fall on Town taxpayers. The Town Board continues to support and encourage his efforts, and we celebrate his most recent success: more than $6,000,000 in grant funding. We also acknowledge the federal funding source and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) for administering the grant.

These grants would not be possible without support letters from our NYS state, Westchester County and local elected officials, Edgemont and Greenburgh Central School District officials, local civic association presidents, businesses, individual residents and many more. In the case of the Old Army Road project, the Edgemont Community Council’s 2023 Traffic and Safety Report, under the leadership of ECC President Dylan Pyne, and the more than 50 individual emails and letters of support from residents are particularly noteworthy in this collaborative effort with the Town.

A link to the Governor’s announcement follows:

Governor Hochul Announces $97.7 Million to Support Enhancement of Alternative Transportation Options in Local Communities | Governor Kathy Hochul (ny.gov)

We will keep you apprised of progress on each of these projects.

The Town of Greenburgh Town Board