When Hopewell Junction resident Bob Doran leaves for his job in Poughkeepsie each morning, the 12.5-mile trip through 34 traffic lights along Route 9 takes him one-half hour. Will things get any better, wonders Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union”™s property and casualty sales manager, as more and more businesses pour into the busy corridor?
Dutchess County”™s four-lane highway is extremely attractive to both business and retail, making Doran”™s commute (and daily life for thousands) a headache. But commuters may face easier rides if plans now under way reach the blacktop phase.
The Poughkeepsie-Dutchess County Transportation Council plans recently released by County Executive Bill Steinhaus have specific recommendations that will make travel easier for the thousands who use the state-owned thoroughfare each day.
The plans for the Fairview section of the town of Poughkeepsie include creating a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, more like a small town than the current blaze of strip malls lining the highway. The plan is to present a mix of residential and commercial use with a sense of small-town character. If successful, the vision would bring a pace slower and safer than a high-speed drive-by.
The council also proposes to create a new road through the former Hudson River Psychiatric Center to connect generally parallel routes 9 and 9G. Hudson Heritage CPCR Ventures has announced plans to develop the one-time medical center”™s 156-acre site as residential and commercial properties. A new road connecting the Hudson Heritage site with the Mid-Hudson Plaza could considerably ease congestion.
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For the thousands of students and faculty at Marist College, a pedestrian bridge linking the campus with the other side of Route 9 is being proposed. According to the report, the state Department of Transportation will work with Marist to build the $2.5 million walkway, while Marist will be responsible for connecting the campus to the bridge in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The DOT says it hopes work will be contracted out by 2010.
While the town of Poughkeepsie continues to rework its master plan and revise current zoning laws, the proposals made by the transportation council echo the vision of the Greenway Compact, the county”™s planning strategy, but remain only suggestions. None of the recommendations can be acted upon until the town finalizes its revised zoning master plan, which officials say will be completed by July.
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