County launches project to improve road
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. » Construction is underway to make South Putt Corners safer for pedestrians and motorists.
The $4.6 million project, part of Ulster County Executive Michael Hein’s multiyear “Building A Better Ulster County” initiative, will result in 6-foot-wide shoulders along the road, two new dedicated left-turn lanes at New Paltz High School, a dedicated right-turn lane at Route 299, a new entrance at the Sunoco gas station, solar-powered speed signs and a new crosswalk at the high school.
The project is being lauded by local officials who say the improvements will make it safer or high school students and others to walk and bike on the road.
“We’re happy that it’s happening,” town of New Paltz Supervisor Neil Bettez of the improvements. “I think this is going to make it safer for kids to get to school ... and for everyone who uses the road.”
Bettez said the county road on which the high school is located is one of the busier thoroughfares in the town. State traffic studies have shown roughly 7,000 vehicles use the road each day.
Aside from the high school, the town police department, state Department of Environmental Conservation office and numerous homes and businesses are on South Putt Corners Road, which connects state Routes 299 and 32.
“Widening the roadway on South Putt Corners Road will definitely increase safety for the entire community, but especially for our high school students who use it to walk to and from school and sporting events,” said New Paltz Police Chief Joe Snyder.
New Paltz school district Superintendent Maria Rice called expanding the shoulders “a welcomed safety measure” that she hopes also will encourage more outdoor activities.
Preparatory work that work includes relocating telephone poles and fire hydrants, as well as work to move and improve drainage along the road, is underway. Hein said the actual construction should begin in late June and is expected to be done by the end of the year.
Hein said the county will make every effort to minimize traffic delays but that drivers could experience slowdowns.
“We will do everything possible to minimize traffic disruptions, just as we did with the Carmine Liberta Bridge [on Route 299 in New Paltz], where we were able to greatly limit delays,” he said.
The total cost of the South Putt Corners Road project has been pegged at $4,587,586, a majority of which is to be covered by federal funding.