Capital Streets Awards

2026 Winners

At our 3 Year Anniversary Party, we chose to celebrate by recognizing the exceptional efforts of a local advocate and community partner in the region.

Advocate of the Year:
Erica Schneider

For years, Erica has gone above and beyond to make Albany's streets better, safer, and more vibrant for all.

Her work helping to organize Albany's World Day of Remembrance, pushing for better legislation on the state and local levels, organizing Albany Social Cycling rides, and volunteering at several events has had a clear impact on our community.

Her inclusive and positive attitude, paired with determination and dedication, has made Erica a clear leader in Albany's advocacy effort for better streets — someone for all in our community to look up to.

Community Partner of the Year:
Yesfolk Tonics

Owners Yiyi and Adam have built an incredibly special space for the Capital Region community at their Troy-based kombucheria, Yesfolk Tonics.

In addition to producing world-class beverages, curating a gorgeous vibe, and organizing their own community-focused events, Yesfolk has become a clear hub for the broader community.

They've opened their doors for countless occasions focused on health, justice, and community building, including several events organized by Capital Streets, Troy Bike Rescue, and Troy Social Cycling

2025 Winners

In 2025, at our 2-Year Anniversary Party, we chose to celebrate by recognizing the exceptional efforts of individuals, entities and community partners in the region to advance a more connected transportation network in the Capital District.

Study of the Year:
Resilient Broadway (Albany County)

  • Broadway is a critical local transportation corridor connecting several destinations, downtowns, and neighborhoods between Albany and Watervliet. This multi-modal corridor supports several modes of transportation, including the Capital District Transportation Authority’s (CDTA) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Blue Line, sidewalks, and intermittent bicycle infrastructure. Broadway is also prone to flooding, as it parallels the Hudson River and is located in the lower reaches of several highly urbanized watersheds. During intense rain events or large storms, which are expected to increase with climate change, Broadway floods at multiple locations, impeding local access and mobility. The purpose of the Resilient Broadway project is to identify and evaluate design concepts that ensure Broadway is resilient to climate change by enhancing and improving the connectivity of transit, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure, increasing the urban forest and tree cover to cool the corridor, and integrating green infrastructure to better manage stormwater runoff.

  • The Resilient Broadway Study was selected as the 2025 Study of the Year for its comprehensiveness, ability to address challenges with forward thinking and practical solutions, and its focus on multimodal transportation across municipal lines. Capital Streets believes the Resilient Broadway study is a stellar example of transportation planning deserving of recognition.

    The study showcases common sense, yet impactful improvements to the Broadway Corridor, which is a critical transportation link for our communities along the Hudson River, including Albany, Menands, and Watervliet. This is exactly the kind of project we need our governments to prioritize the implementation of, and we look forward to advocating for these changes.

    Specifics:

    • Intergovernmental and Intermunicipal Collaboration - Albany County, NYSDOT, Cities of Albany, Menands, and Watervliet 

    • Comprehensive - took a comprehensive look at the existing corridor, including past plans, demographics, land use, climate resiliency, trees, transportation, and utilities

    • Strong Recommendations - the recommendations outlined in the study will actually deliver the changes the community needs. These recommendations reflect today’s best practices, including appropriate lane widths, dedicated infrastructure for transit and cycling, and more. 

    In many ways, the Resilient Broadway team has set a new bar, one that every project team should be reaching for when working on local transportation projects.

Community Partner of the Year:
Freewheel Bike Shop (Matt McGowen)

  • The Freewheel Bike Shop at 3 Vatrano Ave in Albany was recognized as the 2025 Community Partner of the Year for their efforts to make bicycling more accessible and enjoyable through the following:

    • USCRI bike donations to refugees and asylum seekers

    • Helping to organize the Albany Social Cycle rides

    • Co-organizing the Albany Cranksgiving event

  • The shop’s efforts to get more people on bikes while making cycling more welcoming and enjoyable have had a big, positive impact on our local community. The Freewheel has been an excellent example of how small, local businesses can have a direct community impact.

    *Note: The Freewheel Bike Shop changed ownership in 2026

Public Engagement Award:
Reimagining I-787 (NYSDOT Region 1)

  • The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 1 Local Projects Team was recognized for their public engagement efforts throughout their Reimagining I-787 Planning and Environmental Linkages Study. This massive project explores opportunities to improve the corridor through changes to the existing highway.

  • At the 2025 Anniversary Party, Capital Streets recognized NYSDOT’s efforts to go above and beyond in community engagement. Instead of considering required minimums, the project team conducted extensive outreach, including several desiccated events, online surveys, and tabling at community events to reach as many residents as possible.

Advocate of the Year:
Ed Brennan(President, Albany Bicycle Coalition)

  • In 2025, Capital Streets was ecstatic to recognize Ed Brennan as Advocate of the Year. When it comes to advocating for better bike infrastructure and policy in the Capital Region, Ed’s hard work and dedication is unmatched. In his role as President of the Albany Bicycle Coalition, Ed is a leader, organizing other advocates to push for change in and around Albany.

  • In recent years, Ed has been the lead organizer for our region’s World Day of Remembrance event, recognizing the people who have lost their lives on Albany’s roadways and calling on our elected officials to make meaningful changes to prevent future deadly crashes. Ed’s hard work, including educating law makers, continues to improve the prioritization of progress around issues related to safe active transportation.

Project of the Year:
Brevator Street Reconstruction(City of Albany, Engineering Department)

  • The Brevator Complete Street Project will transform a wide, vehicle-oriented street into a multi-modal corridor between two of Albany's prominent arterial roads: Washington Avenue and Western Avenue. The project will retrofit Brevator Street to include new pedestrian and bicycle facilities, traffic calming, and Bus Rapid Transit service that will serve nearby educational and job centers, and high-traffic bus lines along Washington and Western Avenues. By transforming Brevator into a complete street, the City of Albany will decrease vehicle trips, greenhouse gas emissions, and make walking, bicycling and transit safer and more attractive as primary transportation options.

  • The City of Albany’s Brevator Street Reconstruction (or Brevator Complete Street Project) is Capital Street’s 2025 Project of the Year. This project exemplifies how we can reconfigure our streets to deliver the quality of life improvements our communities need. The project repurposes excess roadway width, specifically where traffic lanes were excessively wide, to provide a side path along the east side of Brevator, where community members can now walk and bike. In certain locations along the corridor, the project also delivers median islands with street trees, which discourage speeding and soak up stormwater.

Upcoming Awards

Thursday, April 2nd 2026

We will again be recognizing instrumental individuals and entities at our 3 Year Anniversary Party on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at Lark Hall.

RSVP