Construction for the final stretches of the Connective Corridor through Downtown will get underway soon.
The City of Syracuse has installed new sidewalks, roads, and bike paths from Waverly and University Avenues down to the Syracuse University Warehouse Building.
The construction work begins this month and is expected to end by June 2015, according to project officials.
Owen Kerney, the assistant director for city planning, estimated that about three-quarters of the project is finished and the final result will bring valuable improvements.
"These are great infrastructure improvements," Kerney said. "I think they provide a variety of benefits to the city, to the people who live in the city and visit the city."
Kerney said the projects will benefit the pedestrians who walk through the downtown areas. Besides the improved infrastructure, the city is adding benches, trees and new curbs.
Another focus by the Connective Corridor was connecting the Syracuse University hill with the downtown regions.
"I think that it's important particularly a large university that's a big employer, a big economic engine of the city and of region, really. It's important to have a close relationship with them."
Linda Hartsock, a manager for the Connective Corridor, said that she's already started working to get more college students to come downtown.
"Whether it's for internships or employment or entertainment or arts and cultural venues, that's really the next focus," Hartsock said. "We're building a student advisory council. We're working with academic departments and different faculty to get them more engaged in doing things downtown. That part's really fun."
Hartsock added that $650,000 has been set aside for public art in the streetscape areas. Nearly 280 artists have answered the call from 36 states, 16 countries and five continents.
Said Hartsock, "We'll be looking at how we do programming, how we really bring these streets alive and make them more pedestrian friendly."