The construction of a new sidewalk along Rt. 96B/Danby Road, the main route that connects Ithaca College to downtown Ithaca, is now complete. Located on the east side of the roadway—the campus side—the sidewalk provides members of the IC community and Ithaca residents with safer pedestrian access to and from campus.
Where the Sidewalk Begins
By Danica Fisher ’05, November 17, 2020
Construction of sidewalk connecting downtown to IC completed
Aerial view of sidewalk connecting downtown to IC.
Aerial view of sidewalk connecting downtown to IC.
“I think the new sidewalk is a great addition in terms of both safety and convenience. It will, without a doubt, be much appreciated by the students and faculty of IC,” said Brian Hanshaw ’21.
“It was a terrific experience working collaboratively with our colleagues from the Town of Ithaca Planning Office on this project.”
Tim Carey, associate vice president and chief Facilities Officer
The sidewalk is intended to create safe pedestrian access and accommodations and is a collaboration between the City and Town of Ithaca. It follows recommendations from the Danby Road Pedestrian Corridor Study commissioned by the town and completed in 2016. The city built its portion of the sidewalk in the summer of 2019, and construction of the remaining segment, extending from the Ithaca College main entrance to the Town/City of Ithaca municipal line at Grandview Avenue, began in early June of 2020.
Construction of sidewalk connecting downtown to IC.
“It was a terrific experience working collaboratively with our colleagues from the Town of Ithaca Planning Office on this project,” said Tim Carey, associate vice president and chief Facilities Officer. “The end result is significantly beneficial to students – indeed all IC community members – since the sidewalk connects the College’s main entrance to downtown Ithaca.”
Funding for the project, estimated to cost $1.3 million, was provided in part from the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program, which is administered by the New York State Department of Transportation. These funds covered 80% of the cost of the project, with the remaining 20% provided by the Town of Ithaca and Ithaca College. Last October, the Ithaca College Board of Trustees approved granting an easement to the town to allow a portion of campus land to be used for the sidewalk.