‘Peanut Line’ Multi-Use Trail Project

Public Outreach Information

The Town held a Peanut Line Trailway Public Open House on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 from 6:00-8:00pm at the Amherst Senior Center. The presentation along with the various exhibits that were displayed at the meeting can be viewed below. Comments can be submitted through March 2, 2026 either via mail to the Planning Department (5583 Main St, Williamsville, NY 14221) or via email to planningemail@amherst.ny.us. A blank comment form can be found at the link below.

• Peanut Line Public Open House Flyer
• Peanut Line Open House Exhibits
• Peanut Line Open House Presentation
• Project Comment Form

Background Information

The Town of Amherst lacks a continuous west–east non-motorized transportation corridor. The proposed Peanut Line multi-use trail project will create a new east–west active transportation spine that is publicly accessible and available for daily transportation use. The proposed multi-use bike path trail will provide a safe, direct, and continuous east–west non-motorized transportation corridor through the Town of Amherst, addressing a long-standing gap in the local and regional transportation network. The corridor will serve dense residential neighborhoods that currently have limited public transportation options and fragmented pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. The project will improve bicycle and pedestrian connectivity within the Town of Amherst and between residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, commercial corridors, and transit services.

The Peanut Line corridor is currently used for bicycle and pedestrian movement, and recent plans show support for its use as a trail way. The Town of Amherst’s 2018 Recreation and Parks Master Plan included a goal to complete the “Peanut Line” project. Specifically, to “reevaluate the potential for trail development within the “Peanut Line” corridor as an opportunity to increase connectivity and expand opportunities for walking and biking”. The proposed project is identified on the overall Park Master Plan Map as a future project and connection. A finding of the master plan through public outreach was that the level of service and overall connectivity (by foot or bicycle) within and between parks in Town is limited. Of the 560 Amherst residents who responded to the mailed survey, 80% ranked trails and pathways as highly important. The existing system of multi-use paths, sidewalks, and trails has potential to be expanded to provide better pedestrian and bicycle connections within the town. Survey results from the Town’s master plan state that trail and pathway connectivity is the highest priority for resident’s for expanding and improving Town recreation amenities.

In 2018 the Town conducted a series of neighborhood workshops throughout Amherst. Many residents who currently use the former railroad corridor as a grass walking path look forward to a future multi-use trail. The overall findings from these neighborhood meetings in relation to multi-use trails include; the resident’s desire for pedestrian and bicycle improvements, improved walkability, safety for pedestrians, and more parks and trails with bike amenities. Another finding with resident’s living within neighborhoods adjacent to the former railroad corridor is a desire to have a connection to the “Peanut Line”. The comments and feedback from the 2018 Neighborhood Meetings supported the recommendations from the Town Recreation and Parks Master Plan.

In November 2023 the Town of Amherst and New York State adopted the NYS Department of State Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) Plan. The LWRP plan identified a potential project along the Ellicott Creek waterway. This LWRP project area includes the road Right-of-Ways and Town owned property adjacent to the waterway, which includes North Forest Road, Dodge Road and former railroad corridor. Recommendations and proposed actions from the LWRP include conducting a feasibility study to identify multi-modal safety improvements and alternative forms of transportation. These improvement include and are not limited to pursuing an off road trail that will extend the current Ellicott Creek Trailway bike path system to the east, presumably through the former railroad corridor. This LWRP project is a smaller segment with the overall regional bike path trail system.

Regionally, the Peanut Line project will complete a critical missing segment in Western New York’s regional non-motorized (bike path) transportation network. Upon completion, the Peanut Line will link the Town of Clarence’s multi-use trail network, including the 8.3-mile Clarence Peanut Line Trail and the 7.2-mile Clarence–Akron Trail, to the 7.2-mile Ellicott Creek Trailway in the Town of Amherst. The Ellicott Creek Trailway connects directly to the 94-mile Buffalo Erie Canalway Trail, which in turn connects to the Buffalo and Erie County Riverwalk system. Collectively, these facilities form a continuous regional corridor extending from the Village of Akron through the Towns of Newstead, Clarence, Amherst, and Tonawanda to the City of Buffalo. By closing this network gap, the Peanut Line project transforms a series of disconnected trail segments into a continuous regional transportation system serving commuters, students, residents, and visitors.

The Bike Buffalo Niagara Regional Bike Master Plan was published in 2020 to serve as a guide to provide a transportation system that safely integrates bicycling in the Buffalo Niagara Region. The Plan builds on recent efforts as well as new research and advances in bicycle facility design best practices with the goal of developing a comprehensive network of bike lanes, greenway trails, and other facilities to safely connect neighborhoods. The “Peanut Line” Trail was selected as one of the top-ten highest ranking off-road corridors in this GBNRTC Plan with a prioritization score of 71 out of 100. The GBNRTC hired GObike, as a consultant, in 2024 to complete a feasibility study for an off-road multi-use trail project. The “Peanut Line” Study Final Report was completed in 2025 and provided recommendations on trail development. Below are findings from the GObike Peanut Line Feasibility Study is available on online at the GObike webpage.

GObike Study Excerpts and Findings

• The public and resident input identified a clear preference for a fully off-road, paved trail along the former rail corridor.
• If the Peanut Line Trail is built, 94% of all respondents say they are likely or very likely to use the trail.
• Most respondents, 90%, said they are likely or very likely to use the Peanut Line to connect to other regional trails.
• Respondents were able to choose multiple project alternatives, but nearly 2 in 3 respondents chose Alternative A, multi-use trail along the existing Peanut Line corridor, as a single choice and most preferred choice.

Since the adoption of the Town of Amherst Comprehensive Plan, the Town actively plans for and has completed bicycle and pedestrian related transportation projects. The Bicentennial Comprehensive Plan includes recommendations to expand trails, greenways, and working to promote regional economic development. The following are goals from the Town’s Comprehensive Plan:

• Develop the existing bicycle/pedestrian system into a Town-wide interconnected network that facilitates connections between vehicular and non-vehicular transportation.
• Establish a Town-wide network of parks, open spaces, and greenway corridors. A bicycle/pedestrian trail along the “Peanut Line” contributes to pursuit of these goals.