BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — $50,000 Will help build plans for a trail connecting Canalside and the Outer Harbor.

Buffalo South District Councilman Chris Scanlon and Congressman Brian Higgins announced the funding to determine if a riverwalk along the west bank of the Buffalo River could be expanded.

Environmentalists said it’s important to ensure access to the region’s largest natural resource and preserve it.

“Without access, we lose personal connections, and without personal connections, it becomes very difficult to maintain, sustain and steward these waterways for the future generations,” Jill Jedlicka, executive director, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper.

The new Riverfront Trail would not only improve both bicycle and pedestrian access to the area, but it would also cut the distance between Canalside and the Outer Harbor by about one mile.