Traffic moves fast on Erie Blvd.

"Riding down Erie Blvd., you feel like you're taking your own life in your hands," said Trish Dugan, the co-owner of Syracuse Bicycle.

And in the future, it will be the place where the Empire State trail will connect. The DOT wants the trail to run continuously along the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo. To do that, one lane will be removed on each side of Erie Blvd East, between Beech and Bridge streets.

Despite concerns about traffic congestion and construction, business owners and cyclists are excited to pedal forward. Like Rich Dischiave, the owner of Erie Car Care Center. 

"I think if they narrow it down to the two lanes it wouldn't be much worse than it is now. You have some peak hours of traffic but other than that it seems to flow fairly well during the day," said Dischiave. 

He thinks the path will lead to more business development in the area. 

"Maybe it would help rejuvenate shopping town or something like that," he said.

And especially for Trish Dugan, co-owner of Syracuse Bicycle. 

"Obviously as a cyclist, I'm very excited about the idea of bike-lanes of Erie," she said.

Despite Dugan's enthusiasm she's also cautious about the project. 

"As a motorist, I am concerned that reducing a lane will have a negative impact on traffic so I certainly hope that the town and the city and the New York Department of Transportation are looking at traffic flow and traffic studies and carefully considering the impact," said Dugan. "And I've seen wonderful bicycle infrastructure in other communities and it makes it a really nice situation for everybody." 

Work on the project is expected to take place during the 2020 construction season.