The fishing access under construction
on Oneida Lake at the I-81 crossing is part
of a larger bridge deck repair project being
undertaken by the NYS Department of Transportation.
ONEIDA
LAKE FISHING ACCESS:
The
decision to include public fishing access at
this location is part of the Department’s
Statewide Environmental Initiative. This
area has long been a popular fishing site for
many Oneida Lake anglers, but their presence
and activities there have resulted in a number
of safety issues that concern the DOT.
For this reason, the Department decided
to develop its right-of-way property on the
site in order to provide improved fishing
access for Oneida Lake's anglers. Initial
contact with the NYS Department of Environmental
Conservation and the Oneida Lake Association
indicated strong support for the project,
as well as the potential for partnerships
with these groups.
Components of the fishing access
portion of this project include:
South Shore -- An asphalt path connecting
the existing park-and-ride lot owned by the DOT to
the circulation bridge (southern bridge).
This path system is handicapped accessible.
The
path continues under the circulation bridge and
ends at a cul de sac on the east side.
Island -- A 100' by 6' pedestrian bridge,
installed on the west side of the circulation bridge,
allows access to the island area.
A walkway
connects from the end of the pedestrian bridge
underneath the circulation bridge and ends at a cul
de sac on the east side.
This system is handicapped accessible.
An informal trail system exists on the island
allowing fishing access on the east and west sides
of the island.
This system is not handicapped
accessible. Additional stone rip rap material
will be added at a few locations to make the trail
system continuous.
North Shore -- A small parking facility will
be built off County Route 37 (Swamp Road).
An asphalt path will connect this lot to the
lake under the main bridge over the navigation channel
and will connect to a newly constructed wooden platform
attached to the existing wooden pier protection. This
decking system will allow fishing access in the deeper
water of the channel and will be handicapped accessible
Other work includes installation of curbing
and a berm with planting to discourage parking on
the I-81 on-ramp from Bartell Road. Signage
will be placed in multiple locations to direct anglers
to the proposed parking facilities and access points. Fencing
will also be installed for safety purposes.
Agreements
are currently underway with the NYS DEC to share
maintenance responsibilities with the NYS DOT.
All information and photos on this page provided
courtesy of the New York State Department of Transportation. Special
thanks to Geoff Christoff and Mary Clements for their generous
and timely assistance with this material.
