To the New York State DOT Region 7 Director, Assemblyman Scott Gray, and Senator Mark Walczyk and the Town of Lyme Board

We, the permanent and seasonal residents of Three Mile Bay, Chaumont, Cape Vincent and surrounding Jefferson County communities, demand immediate safety interventions on the official NYSDOT State Route 12E bridge detour. 

The recent closure of the Three Mile Bay Bridge has forced thousands of commuters and residents to rely on suddenly overburdened detour routes. These detours, however, have not been adequately prepared to handle the increased traffic, creating a severe public safety hazard that must be addressed immediately by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).

The detour has become a testament to a lack of proper planning, with narrow lanes, insufficient signage, and absent traffic control measures, leading to numerous near-miss accidents being reported by concerned residents. Each day this situation remains unaddressed, the risk grows that a minor mishap could escalate into a severe or fatal accident. 

 Forcing heavy highway traffic down Depot Street—a narrow residential street in the village of Three Mile Bay with no sidewalks where children play and residents walk—is a tragedy waiting to happen. Similar dangers apply to the rural routes of Ashland Road, Burnt Rock Road, and Swamp Road. Drivers are speeding, and massive RVs, trailers, and boats are being forced down these tight corridors that have no shoulders.

With the upcoming influx of summer traffic, conditions are about to get significantly worse. We live in a prominent tourist area, and vehicle volume increases tremendously during July and August. Our neighborhood and rural roads cannot handle this load safely. Residents are frightened and local wildlife is being killed at an alarming rate.  

NYSDOT created this hazard, and they have a legal and moral obligation to protect the residents living within it. 

We are not asking to redraw the map, but we are demanding that NYSDOT and our state representatives protect human lives. We demand that NYSDOT immediately implement the following safety measures: 

1) Install highly visible "Children at Play" and "Pedestrian Traffic" signs within the village of Three Mile Bay, especially along Depot Street.

2) Deploy Solar-Powered Speed Radar Signs on Depot St., Ashland Rd., Swamp Rd., Burnt Rock Rd. and Millens Bay Road.  

3)  Coordinate immediate, dedicated  speed enforcement by State Police and the County Sheriff on all secondary detour roads, including directly inside the village of Three Mile Bay.
 
4) Add clearer and additional signage on all detour routes so drivers know exactly where to go, reducing frantic, dangerous maneuvers on narrow lanes. 

If you are a permanent or seasonal resident, please sign this petition before a preventable accident occurs. We also urge everyone to flood our state officials with phone calls to address these safety demands:

NYSDOT Region 7 Office (Watertown): 315-785-2316
Assemblyman Scott Gray: 315-786-0284
State Senator Mark Walczyk (Watertown Office): 315-782-3418
 
Our communities do not deserve to live under the constant threat of an avoidable disaster while commuting. We deserve safe travel conditions. The NYSDOT has the operational means to implement these urgent measures.