A rural road damaged in Tropical Storm Irene remains closed today, leading residents and town officials to wonder when — or if — a permanent solution will be found.
A scenic portion of Wolf Hollow Road winding through a historic geological fault, Wolf Hollow Gorge, in the Town of Glenville, was closed shortly after Irene. County officials determined the road, which is commonly overrun with water during periods of heavy rain, was no longer safe for vehicles to travel.
Now, a full year after the storm, Schenectady County and town officials are trying to determine if it will reopen after extensive repairs — or what the effects will be if it remains shut.
The closure has not greatly affected traffic because the roughly 1.1-mile portion of closed roadway runs parallel to another, less commonly used street, Hoffman’s Hill Road. The two roads meet at a fork and drivers would typically follow Wolf Hollow Road, or County Road 59, but now drivers are forced down the side road.
Town Supervisor Christopher Koetzle during the Glenville Town Board’s meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 15, said the town and county have received phone calls and letters from residents of Hoffman’s Hill recently.
“Concerns are generally about signage, road conditions, winter maintenance and emergency services,” Koetzle said. “Access to the Hoffman’s Hill Road homes is another concern of theirs. We will be working with Schenectady County to help address these resident concerns.”
County officials could not be reached for comment. Town Highway Superintendent and Public Works Commissioner Thomas Coppola said the road was closed due to “stabilization” issues.
“It is really hazardous what is going on there, and it needs to be addressed,” Coppola said. “There is just no quick fix for that road … there is no money to put into the project to do it.”
The town wouldn’t be financing any repairs on Wolf Hollow Road since it is a county road, but Coppola said the cost of repairs would likely run into the millions.
There are no homes located on the closed portion of the road, but people own parcels of land along it. Councilwoman Gina Wierzbowski said the road is seasonal and isn’t open in the winter.
Coppola said the closed Wolf Hallow Road has had problems in the past and the county has done stabilization work and rebuilt parts of it. The road was washed out about six year ago, too. Running directly alongside the road is a small creek, timid after a dry summer, but with past heavy rains, the water has torn apart the roadway.
“It gets high velocity when we get rain and there is really no controlling it,” Coppola said. “It is really not a safe road to begin with.”
Wierzbowski said residents on Hoffman’s Hills have noticed an increase in traffic along the quiet road because it is a cut through people use when leaving Saratoga County to get to Route 5. There is still a stop sign at the bottom of Hoffman’s Hill Road because it intersected the now closed roadway, but some drivers are said to be speeding through sign now.
“People are blowing the stop sign and coming through at a high rate of speed,” Wierzbowski said. “We have had police details out there numerous times to try and deter speeders, and it is apparently not really working.”
Wierzbowski said residents are concerned if Wolf Hallow Road is closed permanently then the stop sign would be removed and people will speed down the hill. There are seven homes located along Hoffman’s Hill Road, according to Glenville Director of Operations James MacFarland.
MacFarland said the county did make a request to FEMA for funding to repair the road, but it was denied. He added town officials are pushing for a community member to relay questions and concerns from residents.
“It just seems like it is a little bigger than a one-on-one for every phone call or question,” MacFarland said. “Something more definitive and long term in terms of the future of those roads is where we would like to get to.”
