DOT’s Plans for Saw Mill Parkway Detours, Closures Finalized
Details of the planned Saw Mill River Parkway renovations in Pleasantville later this year and the headaches it is anticipated to cause area motorists were outlined this week by village officials.
The state Department of Transportation (DOT) project calls for closures and detours during the spring and summer to replace parts of the roadway that will help alleviate flooding.
The first phase, scheduled for Apr. 3 to July 1, will be done overnight from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. forcing the closure of the parkway between Marble Avenue and Grant Street in both directions, said Village Administrator Patricia Dwyer. Starting at 9 p.m. each night, southbound traffic will be corralled into one lane and forced to make a left turn off the parkway onto Grant Street, Dwyer said. Drivers will follow the detour to the Marble Avenue parkway entrance to continue southbound.
Northbound drivers will be forced to exit at Marble Avenue and re-enter the parkway at Grant Street. The traffic light cycle will be synchronized on the detour route to reduce congestion. Meanwhile, Depew Street will be closed off to through traffic to avoid having motorists try and circumvent the detour.
The entrance and exit ramps in that area will also be closed to keep residents from accidently entering the parkway, Dwyer said.
Pedestrian traffic will also be blocked from crossing the parkway by sizable physical barriers at Grant Street during the detour hours because of safety concerns raised by the village police. Local residents looking to get across the parkway at night will have to cross the Pleasantville Road bridge.
The more extensive summer phase will be an aggressive 21-day project in which the southbound lanes will be completely closed for the entirety of the work while the northbound lanes will be split at Marble Avenue to allow traffic to proceed in both directions. This three-week phase can start no earlier than July 10 and must end no later than Aug. 26, said William Cromeek of ECCO III Enterprises, Inc. of Yonkers, the contractor overseeing the project. The village expects the work to begin July 11, Dwyer said.
The state DOT would be responsible for regulating traffic flow, not the village, Dwyer said.
Trustee Mindy Barard said her biggest concern would be to make sure detour signs were clearly marked.
“We know, from the history of flooding, that people get off and they don’t know where they are going,” she said.
Village board members inquired whether additional police officers would be needed for the detours, but Dwyer responded they wouldn’t be. Traffic enforcement for the project will not be handled by Pleasantville.
“If traffic regulation is needed, they should provide it, not us,” Dwyer said. “They should talk to the county police or state police.”
A public information forum for residents will be held during the March 7 village board meeting. Representatives from the DOT are expected to attend to answer questions about the project.
Public notifications will also be mailed in the coming weeks. Cromeek said the letter would be sent to residents from Dutchess County to Mount Pleasant.
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