It's a plan that is designed to change the face of Syracuse. The connective corridor. YNN's Bill Carey says the federal government has now stepped in with the money needed to make the proposal a reality.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The state's senior senator was on a visit to Niagara Falls to discuss development plans when the call came from Washington.

“I just heard from the Department of Transportation. They've selected the Syracuse Connective Corridor as a recipient of a $10 million Tiger Transportation grant,” Senator Charles Schumer said.

The connective corridor has been a dream of local planners for several years. Syracuse University and Onondaga County have already shelled out $7 million to cover costs of phase one of the plan, to connect the campus to the downtown Syracuse area. The $10 million will pay for the second and third phases of the project.

“Physically making it easier to get between one and the other. Making it safer. And making it more attractive for people who are on the Hill and Downtown to travel in between the two,” said Owen Kerney, Deputy Director of Planning and Sustainability.

The $17 million gamble here is that once the infrastructure changes are made, more businesses will want to locate along the route. And that will create more jobs.

There is optimism that the project will open up opportunities for those businesses to tap into spending by thousands of students and others who work on University Hill.

“This project is going to be the centerpiece of Syracuse's downtown economic development for years to come. The connective corridor will be the tie that binds the University and the city together, bringing new energy to both,” said Schumer.

The federal monies are due to move quickly, as the Obama administration attempts to use infrastructure projects to help fuel job creation. With the grant approved, planning will proceed with work crews set to move in relatively quickly.

“We anticipate that construction would begin on phases two and three in late 2012,” Kerney said.

If all goes according to plan, construction will be wrapped up by 2014. Then, the city will see if the gamble pays off.

The federal dollars are called Tiger grants because they come from a program called Transportation Investment Generating Economic Activity.

Syracuse wasn't the only Upstate city getting some needed funding. Buffalo will also receive $15 million for a program to return vehicle traffic to the Main Street spine of its central business district.