The Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State and other advocacy groups are seeking approval to map out the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway through municipalities across New York, including the City of Lockport.
The Lockport Common Council is set to consider that approval at its meeting today.
According to the New York State Department of Transportation, there are four nationally designated scenic byways in New York: the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, the Lakes to Locks Passage, the Mohawk Towpath Byway, and the Palisades Scenic Byway. The largest of these in the state of New York is the Great Lakes Seaway Trail which follows the the coastline of Lake Ontario.
Peter Dunleavy, chair of the NYS Byways Advisory Board, said that the Harriet Tubman byway will be even larger, about 550 miles, charting across the state from New York City to Niagara Falls and Buffalo, both of which were where escaped slaves could cross into the safety of Canada.
According to Dunleavy, the inspiration for a Tubman byway was started by grassroots consortiums. Right now, they are looking for a route that would “thread the needle” to make Underground Railroad sites easily accessible from one route, he said.
“What is the best line that will represent the journey? Where are all the physical sites we know and how can we create a route that is in close proximity to all those sites?” he said, adding that all of these questions will be worked on in conjunction between the grassroots groups and the state.
In Lockport, the common council is being asked to sign a letter to Dunleavy and make a resolution that it will support the byway, including any programs or enhancements to the byway, as well as to approve any new advertisements along the route, not including any existing or on-site advertisements.
The city must also resolve to work in partnership with the other municipalities along the byway to support future, “programs, economic development, marketing and …. explore opportunities for cooperation.”
After the byway has been mapped out, a state senator and a member of the assembly will have to sponsor an amendment of the New York State Highway Law, Dunleavy said.
“The legacy of Freedom Seekers on the Underground Railroad, from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey into and across New York to Niagara Falls into Canada should be recognized and organized so people can take a tour and drive along through that historic byway,” he said.
The project is slated to take another two or three years before it is brought before the state legislature.