Essex exploring ways to improve Whallonsburg intersection

ESSEX | The town is currently exploring ways to improve vehicle and pedestrian safety at the NYS Route 22/Whallons Bay Road intersection. At this intersection, there's the Whallonsburg Grange Hall and Whitcomb's Arts. There's open parking at both community venues, which has raised concerns about speeding and vehicles sometimes cutting across the lots to access both roads. "The town recognizes that the intersection of Whallonsburg is not as favorable to navigate as one would like," as stated on the website. "Limited sight lines, a growing economy with more pedestrians, and increased use of the grange all contribute to a desire to improve the [area's functionality]." To address these issues, the town applied for and received a $103,355 Smart Growth Grant to conduct a road study that examined speed, turning movements, parking, sight distance, and crashes. This resulted in a preferred concept plan for intersection improvements to enhance multimodal operations and connectivity, and the findings and recommendations were presented to the public at an open house last week. Officials from Creighton Manning, a multidisciplinary design firm with expertise in civil engineering, planning, surveying, and construction inspection, proposed three solutions. Two options involved realigning the county road. Both would improve traffic flow equally; however, a minor realignment — the cheapest option — would have the least impact on parking, while a major realignment would make the area more pedestrian-friendly. The third option is to put in a roundabout, a suggestion by the New York State Department of Transportation that is the most expensive and also eliminates the most parking spaces, a concern for the residents in attendance. For the study, Creighton Manning monitored the parking at both community venues during events. One event in June resulted in about 70 cars parked staging style. "As we begin to explore changes, we wouldn't be able to park cars like this anymore because there would be some other channelization to the roadway," said Mark Sargent, partner and traffic group leader for Creighton Manning. "That would be the trade-off." In addition to different ways to improve the intersection, the study also examined additional parking options, including adding a widened shoulder on Whallons Bay Road to accommodate on-street parking. Besides parking, residents shared several other concerns, including snow removal and tractor-trailer truck access to both community venues. Speeding was also brought up. "I know speeds are a concern here, but we measured speeds, and they are consistent with the posted speed," Sargent said. But several residents in the hamlet said otherwise, stating that speeding is a primary concern for pedestrians. Following the presentation, attendees shared their concerns and opinions. The town and engineering firm plan to use that feedback to refine the preferred strategy. A new plan of action will then be presented at a later date. "The schedule and scope that we're progressing the project under is roughly a 12-month schedule with some flexibility," Sargent said. "It's important to take our time and do this right." Those wishing to stay up to date on the study or share their opinions or concerns can do so at essexnewyork.com/intersection-study. "For the past year, maybe a year and a half, we've had conversations with the county and state, and we've worked back and forth with some designs, but now, we're reaching a point where we want and need public feedback," said Supervisor Ken Hughes during the presentation. "We want to know what's going on and what your thoughts are — the good, bad, ugly, and different."

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Essex exploring ways to improve Whallonsburg intersection

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