Downtown Walkway

Along with parallel infrastructure investments, repositioning Eagle and Lancaster streets as the Plaza’s front door and creating a universally accessible Downtown Walkway as a vital connector.

Design Concept Summary

Survey results indicated that relatively few users take the Downtown Walkway to access the Plaza today. Priority investments would help reposition the walkway as an active interior corridor with signage, public art, and lighting. In the longer term, working in partnership with Albany County, stewards of the Downtown Walkway, the infrastructure could be reimagined as a destination that strengthens links between the Plaza, Concourse, the Capital Center, the MVP Arena, and Downtown Albany, while creating a unique series of vantage points overlooking the Hudson River.

Strategies and Principles
  • Explore the creation of a universally accessible walkway from the Plaza with connections to the Concourse, Eagle Street, and Downtown Albany.
  • Weatherization, climate control, and ample lighting would fundamentally transform the walkway experience.
  • Connect the Plaza to Downtown Albany and nearby assets and transform Eagle Street from back-of-house to front lawn.
Implementation

Looking ahead, the Downtown Walkway is a long-term project that will need to be coordinated with Albany County, and sequenced alongside other transformative New York State investments, like New York State Department of Transportation’s Reimagining I-787 work.