consultant discusses timetable and plans for safety improvements on East & West Hartsdale Ave
MAJOR TRANSPORT/PEDESTRIAN PROJECT FOR HARTSDALE IN DESIGN--SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ON EAST HARTSDALE AVE AND WEST HARTSDALE AVE ----WHAT IS PLANNED
The Town will utilize $5M Federal Funding in a $7.3 M Project Slated for 2025
A special presentation and public Q&A session was held at Town Hall and via Zoom video conference on Oct. 12 to go over draft plans thus far for East-West Hartsdale Avenue Corridor Pedestrian Improvements in association with the $5M Federal Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant the town received.
In the interest of “reimagining Hartsdale Ave as a safer place,” engineers from the Barton Laguidice presented plans that will include (1) an approximately 6,000 linear ft. new sidewalk and drainage infrastructure along West Hartsdale Avenue from Central Park Avenue (at Four Corners) north to Pat Capone Road; (2) updated signalization via an Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS) along East Hartsdale Avenue; and (3) pedestrian safety enhancements along East Hartsdale Avenue, from Four Corners to the Hartsdale Train Station.
As background, the investigations into improvements in this corridor date back to 2018 when residents and the Town collaborated in taking a fresh look at Four Corners. A land use document was adopted in 2019 with broad support as a supplement to the Comprehensive Plan, envisioning the Four Corners as a mixed-use, vibrant downtown node in Greenburgh. The AKRF firm was hired to study traffic and stormwater infrastructure leading to conceptualizing adaptive traffic systems and pedestrian enhancements. Their comprehensive report formed the basis of the town’s application to a TAP grant, which the Town applied for in Sept. 2021 (and was awarded in July 2002, the largest grant available from this program). In December 2022, Professional Engineering firm Barton LoGuidice was hired to implement the grant (boundary/topographical surveys, design, construction bidding etc.).
The first half of the presentation was for the East Hartsdale portion of the plans that address sidewalk deficiencies, curb ramps, signage, signals and striping to improve safety and traffic flow. Using bump outs, crosswalk lengths are reduced, which puts pedestrians in the roadway for shorter amounts of time. Implementing ATCS at the intersections throughout the corridor will allow, based on sensors, an adjustment in light length in real time, reducing delays, travel time, and the number of stops. Rockledge Road, with a small portion of if two-way, will be updated into a one-way for its full loop, “a small change with a large (safety) impact.”
The Town Board noted that red light/speed camera legislation, if approved, could complement the area from a safety perspective, which the engineers said will work well in conjunction with the grant project, and stated that altogether “it’s a nice package.”
The second half of the presentation for West Hartsdale focused on draft plans for a continuous sidewalk extension, which was best determined to be on the east/north side of WHA, being the optimal choice for reasons of cost, impact, timeline and serving the most residents. Since this is a State DOT-controlled portion of the roadway, the hope would be that the DOT could time overall repaving for after or in connection with when the sidewalk work is undertaken. Supervisor Paul Feiner noted that as an avid cyclist he experienced spots where the shoulder has a sharp drop-off which is dangerous. This would be smoothed as part of the scope of the project. At certain points there would be new sections of concrete gutters to help with stormwater drainage. There are currently some spots where water is flowing year-round and residents are worried about what it will be like when it freezes, something that is separately and more immediately to be addressed by the NYSDOT. The goal of this long stretch of new sidewalk is to provide safe access to schools, bus stops, and the Central/4C/EHA Business Districts from surrounding neighborhoods. The overall vision is to continue the Town’s transformation into a pedestrian-friendly place.
The project is planned as a two-year construction project to begin in 2025, with the potential for the East Hartsdale improvements to begin late 2024.
You can watch the full video of the presentation and Q&A here: https://youtu.be/rPx7xSjpM2Q
Any questions or further comments can be directed to planning@greenburghny.com
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor