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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing a 750-mile paved biking and hiking Empire State Trail for completion by 2020.
The trail would actually be a network of trails running east-west between Albany and Buffalo and north-south from the Canadian border to Manhattan.
The Democratic governor outlined plans for the network in his state of the state address Tuesday.
Plans call for paving 350 miles to fill gaps in the state's existing trails: the Erie Canalway and the Hudson River Valley Greenway. State Bike Route 9 that runs along Lake Champlain to Canada would complete the trail from Manhattan.
The Canalway is nearly 80 percent complete; the Greenway nearly 50 percent.Cuomo says he'll propose $53 million for the first of three phases.