SCRANTON, Pa. — It was yet another beautiful day to take a walk along the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. The group that runs it says they've seen about three to four times more people using the trail this year, and they're hoping that a new project called the Lackawanna Avenue Connector will improve their experience even more.
"There's currently an 18-inch sidewalk under the bridge, which isn't wide enough to fit a stroller or a wheelchair through, so there's really no safe access to downtown as it exists today," said Owen Worozbyt from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority.
The new section of the trail will make it both easier and safer for people to get downtown. They won't have to use the narrow sidewalk or cross the very busy 7th Avenue to get to the wider sidewalk.
"Bicycles and sidewalks don't mix. The roads are not as safe. This will make it much safer to travel and anytime you can make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists is a good thing," Michael Buskovitz said.
The project is three years in the making. The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority was awarded its first grant money back in 2017. Construction was supposed to start in March but that was delayed.
The hope is that the connector trail will provide an economic boost to the city.
"Any time that you can drive people downtown is a good thing," Buskovitz added.
"You'll see every once in a while, a New York or New Jersey license plate. They're people who lived here before and moved away and now this is a way to do the trail and see the city, so it's a win for everyone," said Bill Burke.
Burke tries to ride his bike along the trail four or five times a week, so he anticipates getting a lot of use out of the new section.
"It just adds to the enhancement of the whole trail. In my opinion, this is one of the best things that's happened to this area."
The goal is to have the trail finished before the winter, but it's possible the project won't be completed until next year.