Expansion Of Syracuse Tech Garden Also Revealed

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the completion of the state supported 50-mile unmanned traffic management drone corridor, which runs from Central New York to the Mohawk Valley. The first-in-the-nation corridor is the most advanced drone testing corridor in the nation. With the needed infrastructure now in place, companies will be able to test both unmanned aerial systems platforms and UTM technologies in real world settings, generating data that will inform the industry and regulators and taking us one step closer towards the routine commercial use of drones.

The completion of the corridor advances the regions' collective strategy to accelerate and support emerging uses of UAS in key industries, including agriculture and forest management, transportation and logistics, media and film development, utilities and infrastructure and public safety. At the Syracuse International Airport, the Governor today also announced that the home of the innovative GENIUS NY UAS competition, the Tech Garden in Downtown Syracuse, will undergo a major expansion project to include the addition of two floors to the existing facility. The increased visibility and street-scape will serve as the anchor of the Syracuse's City Center Innovation Hub, a core component of the Syracuse Surge strategy, and will serve as the gateway to the "Innovation Alley" on Warren Street in Syracuse. Empire State Development is assisting the expansion project with up to $12.5 million made available through the regionally designed CNY Rising Upstate Revitalization Initiative plan.

"The completion of the 50-mile drone corridor is a groundbreaking achievement that caps a key strategy laid out in our CNY Rising plan to make Central New York and the Mohawk Valley a global center for UAS testing and innovation," Governor Cuomo said. "Additionally, the Tech Garden expansion in Syracuse will further our efforts to draw forward-thinking industry entrepreneurs, including within the UAS industry, to the area ensuring the region continues to rise for decades to come."

The Governor also recently announced that the corridor had also received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly unmanned aircraft beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) within the first segment. This is the first "true" BVLOS authority granted to the FAA-designated test site, which allows unmanned aircraft testing without the need for ground-based observers. The eight-by-four-mile section of airspace that was approved for these flights is between Griffiss International Airport and the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany. The strategic selection of this airspace within the corridor opens the door for future advancements of the corridor and the continued cooperation between NUAIR, the Test Site and New York State agencies.

(Source: Governor Cuomo news release. Artists' rendering of Tech Garden provided)

FMI: www.governor.ny.gov