By Mark Weiner / The Post-Standard The Post-Standard

Washington — The U.S. Department of Transportation will award Syracuse a $10 million grant today to pay for the next two phases of the Syracuse Connective Corridor, a project to link downtown and University Hill with a new pedestrian- and bike-friendly streetscape.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who had lobbied federal officials for the competitive grant, said Syracuse will receive its full request from the DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, program.

The federal money will go toward a $17.2 million project to build new sidewalks, benches, energy-efficient lighting and new lanes to limit the distance pedestrians must travel to cross between streets as they travel the corridor. The work will include the installation of pedestrian count-down timers at crosswalks.

The city and Syracuse University have agreed to provide $7.2 million as their share of the project.

Schumer, the third most powerful Democrat in the Senate, had asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to support Syracuse’s application.

Schumer and other advocated noted that University Hill and downtown Syracuse, separated by Interstate 81, are home to five of the 10 largest employers in Central New York. More than 47,000 people work in the corridor.

“I went to bat for Syracuse with the secretary because this job-creating project is exactly what Syracuse needs – I’m thrilled they’ve heeded our call,” Schumer said in a statement today. “We’re finally going to link these two parts of the city with a new network of bike lanes and sidewalks and make significant improvements to traffic flow so that people, goods, and services can flow throughout Syracuse. This plan is a clear winner for Syracuse and will help create hundreds of good-paying construction jobs at a time when we need them the most.”

Besides Schumer, Central New York’s congressional delegation, including Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-Onondaga Hill, and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., had advocated for the project with federal transportation officials.

Buerkle recently took Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, on a tour of the proposed corridor. The congresswoman also sent a letter to LaHood, urging the DOT to approve the grant.