The Wantagh State Park bicycle path will soon extend to Jones Beach in one of three Long Island pedestrian pathway projects slated to begin this fall, New York State officials announced Thursday.
The 0.7-mile extension route would connect the end of the bike path to beach access at East Bathhouse by next summer. It is a part of $11.5 million in funding for more than 18 miles of bike path extensions on LI, state transportation and parks department officials said. There are more than 172 miles of such paths island-wide.
Currently, beach-bound cyclists must park their bikes at the end of the 7.5-mile path from Cedar Creek Park and walk three-quarters of a mile around a parking lot and through a tunnel under Ocean Parkway to reach the shore.
State Sen. Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. said the project will “provide a critical link to the planned Ocean Parkway Bike Path.”
The Ocean Parkway path may be years away from getting the green light, but the 6-mile Bethpage State Park pathway will soon get a 2.4-mile on-road bike-access way linking it to the Syosset train station.
And in Suffolk County, officials said a pathway connecting Route 25A in Setauket to Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station will get a 2-mile extension
Two new traffic signals will be installed at Gnarled Hollow Road to enhance safety there for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists, officials said.
