A big addition is on the way for Niagara Falls State Park. It was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, and it's recognized as the oldest state park in the nation.
Improved public access is coming to the Niagara River Gorge as part of the state's plan to rip out a section of the Robert Moses Parkway.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the New York Power Authority will pay for the $42 million project. It includes removing the highway. Restoring the landscape. And building trails. Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster says it's the largest expansion of Olmsted's park at Niagara Falls since it was created in 1885.
"It incorporates a number of historic sites associated with people like Westinghouse, and Edison and Nikola Tesla. It encompasses the area where our new International Railway Station and Underground Railroad Interpretive Center are under construction. It brings additional trail-heads to the park area. So there's going to be a lot more of the natural environment of Niagara to go around," Dyster said.
The new parkland will stretch from First Street, near the Rainbow Bridge, to Findlay Drive, near Whirlpool State Park. Work is expected to start in 2018 and take about two years to complete.