The state Department of Transportation is continuing to advance plans to alter the corner of Route 9 and George Avenue in the Village of Round Lake, and it held a public meeting on Monday, Aug. 24, at the Round Lake Fire House to solicit the opinion of local residents on the newest iteration of the project.
The overall concept has remained much the same since it was presented in February, but the DOT wants to continue taking comments and keep the public up to date.
One of the fundamental things we need is feedback from the public, said DOT spokesman Peter Van Keuren. `We don’t live in these areas, and there is certainly the local perspective that we need to get.`
The preferred plan the DOT will present involves realigning George Avenue so that it intersects Route 9 at a right angle instead of the skewed approach motorists now take. In addition, the DOT would like to terminate Maltaville Road near its intersection with Route 9 to cut down on traffic that would use that road as a shortcut to Route 67 and the Mechanicville area.
`We’re looking at it from a safety standpoint,` said Van Keuren. He said that he was not aware of a high number of accidents at the intersection, but skewed intersections can be more difficult to navigate.
`Oftentimes if we’re in the area, we’ll redesign the intersection to come in at more of a right angle,` he said.
The proposed plans call for a `hammerhead` end to Maltaville Road, where two strips of roadway would be added to the end of the road to make turnarounds easier. By cutting it off from George Avenue, which runs straight through the village, travelers may be enticed to go around Round Lake.
The idea of quieter streets has been well received by residents, said Round Lake Mayor Dixie Lee Sacks.
`They’re very happy, they like the idea,` she said. `I think they’re [the changes] necessary with the bypass. The purpose was to keep the traffic out of the village and they still have a way through.`
She said that a few have raised concerns that terminating Maltaville will simply increase traffic on Goldfoot Road to the north, but if that occurs, traffic mitigation measures can be put in place.
Residents also hope that a bridge on Maltaville remains open, said Sacks, and it looks like the DOT will aim to keep it in place.
`Many people use the bridge for their recreation, they use it to fish or launch their canoes,` said Sacks.
Cutting down on traffic through the historic village is a priority for both the DOT and Round Lake officials. With a $40 million railroad yard planned for Mechanicville and a GlobalFoundries microchip manufacturing plant already under construction in Malta, it is expected that activity in this area of the county is poised to increase dramatically in coming years.
The opening of the 1.6-mile Round Lake Bypass in July helped to clear traffic in the village of 625, said Sacks.
`We are certainly thrilled to death with the bypass,` she said. `I can see the change in traffic almost immediately. We don’t have trouble getting out of side roads.`
The $22.4 million road encouraged northbound and southbound traffic to avoid the village and stay off George Avenue. Cutting off Maltaville should do much the same for east-west motorists.
Those entering the Round Lake area will still be greeted by `gateway` decorative signage that is to be part of the DOT’s upcoming Route 9 plans.
DOT has budgeted $750,000 for the project, which is tentatively slated for next summer. If all goes well, the new intersection could be open to traffic in November 2010.
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