County Executive pitches idea of shutting down Onondaga Lake Parkway to all traffic

TOWN OF SALINA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — While it was just an idea, the Onondaga County Executive had the most drastic suggestion for stopping trucks from hitting the bridge over Onondaga Lake Parkway as the State DOT studies its options.

“There’s never going to be a 100 percent full proof solution unless you literally shut down the parkway,” County Executive Ryan McMahon said on this week’s Newsmakers.

He continued: “We are investing millions of dollars in (an) Old Liverpool Road improvement plan in the next few years and that could be used for more traffic.”

When asked if he could then expand nearby Onondaga Lake Park, he said: “If they shut that down, that would present a lot of opportunities, but, certainly, you can only do that when Old Liverpool Road is fixed.”

While the State DOT maintains the road and CSX owns the railroad bridge, Onondaga County has a vested interest in the solution.

It’s “Look The Lake” trail around Onondaga Lake can only be truly completed when bike lanes and pedestrian paths are installed along Onondaga Lake Parkway.

Currently, the four lanes of traffic already make it a tight fit.

McMahon said, “We need to lower the amount of lanes that are going. That could be traffic calming. That would open up land on the shore for us to finish that part of the loop the lake the trail all the way to the Parkway.”

McMahon said Onondaga County is in final design phases for the last planned extension of the trail.

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