Amityville to start work in 2025 on pedestrian and bike path under LIRR trestle

A new pedestrian and bicycle path in Amityville that will connect train riders with downtown is finally coming to fruition after more than seven years of planning.

The pathway under the Long Island Rail Road viaduct will be made of stamped concrete and span 500 feet. It will stretch from John Street to Broadway/Route 110, with new lighting and landscaping around it, said Mayor Dennis Siry. The project is expected to cost nearly $800,000, he said.

“I’m ecstatic that we’re finally getting it done,” he said. “Right now nobody really wants to walk down it ... it’s a dark area; it’s all uneven.”

Planning for the pathway began in 2017 when the state Department of Transportation awarded the village $288,000. But a series of delays began unfolding, including a state-required redesign to eliminate nearby parking and a new lease with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the property, Siry said. All the delays caused the project’s costs to rise, he said.

A community benefits package with Village by the Bay, a luxury rental complex that opened in 2020, yielded $150,000 for the project. An appeal to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office landed the village another $400,000 in state funding, Siry said.

Amityville issued a request for proposals at the beginning of the year and evaluated bids from seven companies. The village awarded the contract to the lowest bidder, Laser Industries of Ridge, for $628,750.

Village officials are awaiting final approvals from the state Transportation Department. Construction could start in spring with the pathway finished by summer, the mayor said. Siry said he wants to eventually create an “art walk” along the path featuring murals designed by local artists.

Siry said the pathway complements other projects the village is completing using state grant money. In 2022, the state awarded Amityville $10 million from its Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

The pathway is also a link to Suffolk County’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit line, which would run along Route 110, county officials said. Commuters would be able to exit the train and walk or bike to the rapid bus stop on Route 110, officials said.

“This project is an important piece of the puzzle to revitalizing and energizing Amityville’s downtown but also a model for other communities,” Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said in a statement. “Better transportation routes and infrastructure is key to our economic growth.”

Mindy Germain, program manager for Transit Solutions, an MTA program that promotes transit ridership on Long Island, praised the project. Pathways such as the Amityville one help people without cars who need to access public transportation as part of their commutes. 

“These first mile, last mile solutions not only enhance climate resiliency but also promote health and wellness while driving economic development,” she said. 

Rosemary Mascali, a co-chair of the Long Island chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council's sustainable transportation committee, said she was pleased to see the pathway coming to fruition.

“It takes a long time and it takes persistence to get these projects done,” Mascali said. “There’s got to be an alignment of people advocating for it, availability of funds and the strong political will to make it happen.”

Mascali said Long Island’s driving-centered culture means many areas are not walkable or bikeable.

“When you’re in the city, you just take it for granted that you can walk safely because there’s sidewalks and paths,” she said. “But here, especially with all of the accidents and pedestrian deaths, these are things we need to invest in — infrastructure to make it safer to encourage biking and walking.”

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.