Improvements, changes coming to Joseph Davis State Park

Rob Creenan, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·3 min read

Aug. 30—LEWISTON — New York State Parks and the Niagara River Greenway Commission are looking to improve Joseph Davis State Park in the coming months, part of overall plans of creating new shoreline trails.

State Parks spokeswoman Angela Berti said the greenway first looked into "Lower River Connectivity" in 2019 and state parks started looking into improvements in 2022, with plans finalized earlier this year.

"We would hope that providing a dedicated multi-use trail will be attractive for bikers, walkers and others who enjoy using the trail," Berti said.

The proposed improvements, according to project documents, include converting Park Road into a multi-use trail, building a trailhead parking lot, better trail connections within the park and to other regional trails, reducing the parking lot footprint, removing existing pavement and foundations around the old pool complex, installing new concrete and stone dust paths, lawn seeding, and restoration planting.

The Park Road conversion is part of the greater Niagara River Greenway Plan, with most of that trail permanently closed to vehicular traffic and a trailhead parking area located on Pletcher Road.

Additional work will include improvements to the disc golf course and installing a new inclusive playground.

A Lower Niagara Trail Gap Study was done in 2020 to identify areas in need of better trail connections, with feedback gathered from the public. More than 50 meetings, presentations and walk/bike tours took place.

"Parks and the Niagara River Greenway work hand-in-hand on projects that enhance trail development in all state parks," Berti said.

Joseph Davis State Park recorded 148,559 visitors in 2022, an increase from 134,221 visitors in 2021 and part of a record 79.5 million to New York State Parks in 2022.

The entire project will cost $2.75 million, with $900,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, $700,000 each from New York State Parks and New York Works, and $450,000 from the Environmental Protection Fund.

The Niagara River Greenway Commission has worked to create a series of trails connecting Lake Ontario with Lake Erie. The current route through Joseph Davis State Park comes from along the Niagara Scenic Parkway before turning onto Pletcher Road, then turning onto Park Road. It continues on until it turns north on Lower River Road.

State Parks hired Bergman Associates in 2022 to conduct a traffic study to see if Park Road could be closed year round. It found that the road's closure, while keeping the Lower River Road entrance open, would delay vehicles by less than two seconds, along with adding 0.3 miles to travel.

The park's parking lot is currently underutilized due to the closure of its former Olympic-sized swimming pool back in the early 1990's. It is mainly used by patrons playing disc golf, birdwatching, or going walking on nature trails.

Project documents says bids for construction will start in September, with contracts to be awarded in October. Construction is planned to start in March 2024 with an October 2024 completion.