Region roads benefit from stimulus
Take $167 million in federal construction money for roads and bridges and what do you get?
That is the question remaining as 2009 ends and officials in the Hudson Valley look at the result of the roads and bridges portion of the American Restoration and Recover Act (ARRA) funding, widely known as federal stimulus money.
The short answer is jobs, safety and convenience with a dash of possible future economic development appended.
The $167 million in funds was the Hudson Valley share of the $1.1 billion New York State received in ARRA funding to rehab and upgrade roads and bridges. The money has all been spent now, according to state DOT Region 8 spokeswoman Allison Ackerman, divided among the many needs in Westchester, Orange, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia and Ulster counties.
Though not all the work is finished the money went to 17 state projects, ranging from building park-and-ride lots to new bridges. The money was also provided to save and create jobs.
“Stimulus projects are producing tangible jobs keeping workers off unemployment rolls and at the same time making necessary improvements to our deteriorating infrastructure,” said Ross J. Pepe, president of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley Inc. “It is a wise use of federal and state resources to improve the economy at this difficult time.”
“The availability of this funding is allowing us to do what we need to do for our communities,” said DOT Region 8 Director Joan Dupont. “We are building roads and bridges, repairing pavement and guide rails and, most importantly, improving the safety of our highways. With this funding, we are helping to put dedicated people in the construction industry back to work.”
Among the big-ticket projects paid for by stimulus money is a $13.36 million project to replace the bridge carrying the Palisades Interstate Parkway over State Route 202 in the village of Haverstraw in Rockland County.
The project is constructing a new single-span bridge carrying the Palisades Interstate Parkway over State Route 202, replacing the existing three-span structure. The new structure will retain the existing alignment of the parkway. The bridge will also be wider, allowing for the addition of a southbound acceleration lane for the entrance ramp and wider shoulders.
State Route 202 will be widened from three lanes to five lanes from the bridge to the intersection with State Route 45. The entrance and exit to the park-and-ride lot, adjacent to State Route 202, will be moved to facilitate traffic flow. Two existing traffic signals will be replaced and a new signal will be installed and new drainage and storm water treatment area will also be installed.
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Another $5.3 million dollars went to repaving about 15 miles of state highways in Westchester and Rockland counties. In Rockland County, 3.4 miles of State Route 9W, from the Sparkill viaduct to the Thruway split received improved pavement surface in the town of Orangetown. In Westchester County, 11.78 miles of roadways were resurfaced, including portions of state Route 121, Route 132, and Route 22.
“Our entire region will be happy with this long overdue repaving project as it will provide safer roads for the community and travelers,” said state Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee. “My office has received numerous calls about dangerous potholes along 9W, which had not been repaved since 1932.”
And additional $5.3 million created a new park-and-ride lot just east of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, which may help alleviate the parking shortage at the Rhinecliff train station, five miles away.
The park-and-ride lot is being constructed along State Route 199 between River Road and the intersection of State Routes 199 and 9G. There will be 35 parking spaces created, two of which will be designated as handicapped. The park-and-ride lot is a potential intermodal transportation point, with the town of Rhinebeck proposing a shuttle to the Rhinecliff station. Construction began in the fall and will continue until the end of winter 2009.
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As part of the project, the state Route 9G Roeliff Jansen Kill Bridge will be rehabilitated to prolong the life of the structure, painting it, repairing or replacing structural steel elements and replacing the deck. Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2010 and be completed in fall 2011.
The final portion of the project will include constructing a new median turnaround for emergency vehicles on the Taconic State Parkway just north of Cold Spring Road. Construction will take place in summer 2010.
“Each aspect of this contract ”“ the park-and-ride lot, the bridge upgrades and the turnaround ”“ is unique in design, but common in purpose: to improve the transportation system for the residents of Dutchess and Columbia counties,” said Dupont. “Commuters, residents, businesses and emergency responders will all benefit from what this project will accomplish.”
And there are other beneficiaries as well: taxpayers and job seekers.
“By working quickly and cooperatively we were able to bring these federal tax dollars back home for good use in Hudson Valley communities,” said U.S. Rep. John Hall. “We spent recovery funds wisely by focusing on projects that will create long-term value for years to come.”