{"id":85263,"date":"2017-10-06T17:28:47","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T21:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=85263"},"modified":"2017-10-05T23:06:15","modified_gmt":"2017-10-06T03:06:15","slug":"corey-lee-carr-memorial-pedestrian-bridge-dedicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=85263","title":{"rendered":"Corey Lee Carr Memorial Pedestrian Bridge Dedicated"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Griffo, Brindisi joined by local officials and family members to honor memory of Corey Lee Carr<\/em><\/p>\n

Carr, An Athlete And Young Community Activist, Was Struck And Killed By A Drunk Driver On The Arterial In July 1995 While Crossing The Road On His Bike<\/em><\/p>\n

State Senator Joseph Griffo and Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi were joined today\u00a0by other community leaders, State Transportation Department representatives, and family members today, officially naming the pedestrian bridge across the North-South Arterial in West\u00a0Utica in memory of Corey Lee Carr.<\/p>\n

Carr was 13 when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver in July\u00a01995 while crossing the Arterial on his bike near the location of the pedestrian bridge. Common Council members\u00a0approved legislation in December\u00a02015 asking the state to dedicate the bridge in Corey\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

Last year, Governor Cuomo signed legislation into law sponsored by Griffo and Brindisi officially designating the structure as The Corey Lee Carr Memorial Bridge. At the ceremony, signs were unveiled on the Arterial on both sides of the pedestrian bridge marking its\u00a0designation.<\/p>\n

State Senator Joseph Griffo said: “&quot;Unfortunately, we hear far too often about the awful impact that drunk driving can have on families. In Corey\u2019s case, the life of a teenager who had so much\u00a0potential was tragically taken way too soon because of a drunk driver. The pedestrian bridge\u00a0crossing the Arterial is intended to allow those trying to cross the road with a safe alternative to\u00a0do so and to hopefully prevent what happened to Corey from happening to anyone else. It is my\u00a0hope that people will utilize this bridge and that now, every time they do, they will see the signs and think about Corey and the heart-breaking toll driving drunk can have.”<\/p>\n

Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi said: \u201cImproving safety for pedestrians and drivers was one of the main reasons the Arterial was redesigned and significantly improved. It is my hope that\u00a0when people see the signs for the Corey Lee Carr Memorial Bridge that they will stop and think\u00a0about the importance of driving safely and not drinking and driving, and that they remember the tragic loss of a young man with so much promise. Every time someone uses this pedestrian\u00a0bridge, it means they\u2019re crossing the Arterial safely, because unfortunately, not everyone driving follows the rules of the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri said: \u201cThere is nothing more tragic than when a young person\u00a0loses their life, especially someone like Corey who had unlimited potential. As a community, we must be diligent in combatting drunk driving. We are all hopeful the reconstruction of the Arterial will significantly enhance safety and prevent these types of tragedies in the future. Let\u00a0these signs, in Corey\u2019s honor and memory, serve as a permanent reminder that safety is a top\u00a0priority and that life is precious.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaVerne Carr Kemp, Corey\u2019s mother said: \u201cCorey was a bright, energetic 13-year-old kid\u00a0before he was killed. He was already a positive influence in the community\u2014an excellent\u00a0student whose passion was playing basketball. He played it day and night no matter the season.\u00a0In the snowy winter months, he would shovel the basketball court in order to play. He also\u00a0excelled in football and basketball; he was a true athlete. He was a member of the Young\u00a0Scholars Program at Utica College, which now gives out a scholarship in his name, and was a\u00a0member of the Mohawk Valley Community Action Teen HIV\/AIDS prevention group. The\u00a0dedication of this pedestrian bridge just yards from where he was killed is such a fitting tribute\u00a0that will help keep his memory alive for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participants heard from the Assistant Commissioner of the State Department of Transportation, Sean Hennessey, explaining the agency\u2019s role in the project. Mrs. Kemp thanked Utica Common\u00a0Council members Dave Testa and Mark Williamson, and Lonnie Jenkins of the Utica City Youth\u00a0Bureau, who provided valuable support to her family for the renaming initiative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Griffo, Brindisi joined by local officials and family members to honor memory of Corey Lee Carr Carr, An Athlete And Young Community Activist, Was Struck And Killed By A Drunk Driver On The Arterial In July 1995 While Crossing The Road On His Bike State Senator Joseph Griffo and Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi were joined today\u00a0by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23810,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellbeing","category-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=85263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/80461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=85263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=85263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=85263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}