OAK TREE ROAD SIDEWALK UPDATE
On March 29, Town Supervisor Andy Stewart and Superintendent of Highways Jim Dean came to a community meeting at the Palisades Community Center to discuss the status of the Oak Tree Road sidewalk. The meeting gave us the opportunity to discuss the sidewalk and other traffic safety concerns and to express our frustration at the delay in the sidewalk project that we have been advocating since 2008. Jim Dean and Andy Stewart assured us that it will be completed this year.
The timetable:
April 15: the sidewalk will go out to bid (concrete sidewalk, Belgian block curbing)
April 25: deadline for bids to be received by the Town. The
Town has to accept the lowest bid, but Dean and his team will
research the company and get referrals to insure that work
will of high quality.
Mid-May: the bid will be accepted by the Town Board.
June, July and August: the sidewalk will be installed. (The
company has a 100-day deadline to complete the project.)
Because Route 9W is a state road, the NYS Department of
Transportation has to approve the section of the sidewalk that
is installed on Route 9W, and they are requiring additional
curbing and pedestrian pads at the other three corners.
A number of Route 9W intersection safety issues that the community has requested over the years have yet to be approved by the NYS DOT. To move forward, we must go before the Traffic Advisory Board which will make recommendations to the NYS DOT. The meeting is Tuesday, May 6 at 10:30am at Town Hall. For those interested in lobbying for safety improvements on Route 9W, contact Carol Baxter at PCC@Palisadesny.com
At our request, the missing crosswalk lines at various locations on Oak Tree Road were repainted, the speed feedback signs were refurbished and reinstalled and there will be occasional traffic police presence watching for speeders on Oak Tree Road.
Thank you to all who have written letters, signed petitions, and attended and spoken at Town meetings in support of this sidewalk and improved safety conditions.