Input sought on intersection work, Wilbur Ave. project

The city has put two infrastructure projects on its new engagement website to solicit public feedback.

Details about the Pedestrian Action Safety Plan and the Wilbur Avenue paving project are available online at engagekingston.com. The Pedestrian Action Safety Plan is aimed at improving the city’s walkability and includes upgrades and adjustments to sidewalks, roads and intersections to increase pedestrian safety, while the Wilbur Avenue project is intended to correct drainage problems along the road.

The public can comment on the Pedestrian Action Safety Plan until June 26, while the comment period for the Wilbur Avenue project will last through July 15.

The Pedestrian Safety Action Plan is to address seven intersections across Kingston this fall, utilizing funding from the state Department of Transportation. The intersections to be improved are: Joy’s Lane at Municipal Stadium Road; Broadway at McEntee Street, at Yosman Tower, at Delaware Avenue, and at Andrew Street; North Front Street at Crown Street; and Albany Avenue at Maiden Lane.

The intersections were chosen due to high pedestrian traffic and above-average risk for accidents. Potential improvements include the extension of curb lines to shorten long crossing distances, the addition of sidewalk ramps and retroreflective signs, and upgrades to crosswalk markings and pedestrian signals.

Alderman Douglas Koop, D-Ward 2, said in a statement that he was “very pleased to see these pedestrian safety improvements at two particularly dangerous” intersections, referring to the one on Joys Lane and the one at North Front and Crown streets.

Alderwoman Michele Hirsch, D-Ward 9, said she was excited to see the city moving forward with the pedestrian safety plan.

“Kingston is a historic city that was literally built for walking, and we should support efforts to make our intersections safer for pedestrians,” Hirsch said in a statement. “In Ward 9 especially, where Kingston High School intersects with SUNY Ulster, the Health-Alliance of the Hudson Valley hospital campuses on Broadway and Mary’s Avenue, together with Yosman Tower and the many new businesses that have sprung up on the Broadway corridor in recent years, we should be encouraging residents to walk to their destination as safely as possible.”

The Wilbur Avenue project aims to correct drainage issues that have caused deterioration of the road. The project includes two 11-foot travel lanes with 3-foot shoulders being constructed. Also, gutters, swales and culverts will be added to better direct stormwater runoff to the Twaalfskill Creek; and

guardrails and signs will be upgraded, and the road will be paved from south of Greenkill Avenue to north of West O’Reilly Street.

Construction is tentatively scheduled for April to September 2021.

“Even through these difficult times, we continue to move forward on

projects to improve many aspects of life in the city of Kingston,” Mayor Steve Noble said in a statement. “It’s important that we keep these projects moving forward, but we want to make sure we hear the community’s feedback as we do so. I encourage residents to visit Engage Kingston and see all the projects we are currently working on and all the different ways you can contribute.”