Raymond Avenue construction to improve street safety

Joe Rozek Guest Writer

Students returned to campus this semester to find Raymond Avenue covered with construction workers, traffic signs, and mounds of dirt as the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) continued reconstructing the street, aiming to create a safer environment for pedestrians. The Raymond Avenue project, which began on June 5, will reduce the speed of street traffic with the addition of two roundabouts and a median.

Vassar, the Arlington Business District, and the DOT have been discussing the reconstruction of Raymond Avenue since the early 1990s.

The DOT originally planned to simply repave the street, but the College and the Arlington Business District requested that safer conditions for pedestrians and smoother traffic flow be taken into consideration. The College hired the Project for Public Spaces as a consultant, who recommended putting in roundabouts. Roundabouts are traffic circles that facilitate the passage of vehicles.
“There was a greater need for a more pedestrian-friendly space, rather than a four-lane highway,” said Associate Executive Director of Buildings and Grounds Jeff Horst. “The entire campus was bisected for the convenience of vehicles. The aim of the project is to slow down traffic and make it safe for pedestrians.”

Project to assuage pedestrians’ fears

To achieve their goal of better pedestrian safety, the DOT hired the Argenio Brothers of Newburgh as contractors, as well as a site engineer, who split the project into two phases. The first phase includes the implemenation of two roundabouts: one in front of Main Gate and the other at the intersection of Raymond Avenue and Collegeview Avenue. In addition, the two middle lanes of Raymond Avenue will be replaced by a median planted with hackberry tree, and sidewalks will line the streets.
Adjunct Associate Professor of English Judy Nichols has been a longtime supporter of the the Raymond Avenue project.

“When a number of us who live in the area worked to encourage the renovation of Raymond Avenue, we were responding to statistics and observations,” said Nichols. “High numbers of injury-related accidents have happened on Raymond Avenue over the years. Many of us know people who have been hurt on this road. Our students, our children, and many elderly people are pedestrians on Raymond Avenue, and until recently, our road has been a pedestrian nightmare.”

Changes made in light of construction

Computer simulations by the DOT have shown that even if Raymond Avenue is reduced from four lanes to two, 17,000 cars could easily pass through each day. Still, some Poughkeepsie residents remain concerned that slower traffic on the two lanes will clog vehicle flow on Park Avenue, Grand Avenue, and surrounding residential streets.

In terms of traffic patterns at the College while Raymond Avenue is under construction, Main Gate became a one-way entrance on June 5, and will likely remain that way until after constuction on Raymond Avenue is complete. This summer, South Gate was closed for construction from Aug. 28-Aug. 30, with Main, North, and Manchester Gates still open to through-traffic. Parking on Raymond Avenue will not be available until after Nov. 1.

Director of Security Don Marsala and Horst sent a memo via e-mail to all students on Aug. 21. The memo outlined changes to traffic patterns and parking changes on campus during construction. “We urge you to leave cars parked in student parking spaces, or if possible, leave your vehicle at home until next semester,” Marsala and Horst wrote.

Completion date for work on nearby roads uncertain

“Stage one of the project should be completed by the end of November,” said Horst. “The total cost [of the first stage] of the project is around $3 million.”

The College and the Arlington Business District paid for the study conducted by the Project for Public Spaces, and the DOT is funding the reconstruction of Raymond Avenue. The cost of the entire project is estimated at $6 million.
Stage two of the project hinges on the success of the first stage. If traffic at the roundabouts runs smoothly and more funding is available, construction will continue along the Arlington Business District, and between South Gate and Hooker Avenue.

Future plans include constructing a median between the two lanes of traffic, and completely paving over the slipway of Hooker Avenue. “The traffic is simply far too dangerous [on Hooker Avenue],” said Horst.
Constructing an additional roundabout at the intersection of Hooker Avenue and Raymond Avenue remains a possibility.

“Roundabouts haven’t really been used in New York state before,” said Horst. “This is an opportunity to test them out. And the Department of Transportation would not run a test that they don’t think will work.”

The outcomes of the traffic experiments on Raymond Avenue could influence the DOT’s decisions about future construction of roundabouts in New York state. But not all local residents support the extensive road work plans. Poughkeepsie Town Supervisor Pat Myers said in March that she resented the town serving as the DOT’s “guinea pig” for this project.
Marsala has been working closely with Horst and the DOT to facilitate the construction process. “Basically, it’s [Security’s] job to make sure everyone’s safe and keep everything moving smoothly,” said Marsala. “Even though we changed a lot of things up, we did not have much more trouble than last year getting everyone moved in.”
Horst said, “The optimistic hope for the completion date of stage two is around two years, during the summer of 2008. But it's really unknown—we won’t know until it appears in the newspaper.”

Additional reporting by Juliana Kiyan, News Editor