The Good, Bad and Ugly
Main St Reconfiguration and Restriping

As a professional in the real estate industry, it is important for me to know what’s going on in my community and how it might affect the local economy, businesses and obviously, home sales. From business openings and closings, hiring and layoffs, new housing developments, infrastructure and roadway changes, each can have a profound effect on a community, both positive and negative. I believe that you will find the information below interesting and concerning.

Background

In 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will repave Main Street through Endwell and west into Endicott. Once paving is completed, this project will create a new lane configuration that will, for most of the roadway, reduce it down from four lanes to two lanes (one in each direction).  This will also include a Two-Way Left Turn Lane (TWLTL), commonly referred to as “center” turn lane. Due to the dangers of its misuse, the TWLTL is also commonly referred to as a suicide lane.

Lane reconfiguration like this are being done all around the country, but usually in high density, urban, downtown areas. This “Road Diet”, as it is often called, has become a preferred transportation methodology and there are typically five (5) stated reasons given for doing it. They are:

1.)    To redistribute traffic across a grid of lesser used roadways.

2.)    To reduce the speed of traffic (without changing the speed limit).

3.)    To reduce accidents.

4.)    To promote and encourage public transportation as a better way to commute.

5.)    To open up safer bike lanes and pedestrian walkways.

At first thought, this all sounds reasonable. And it is. However, for this to truly work and be successful in obtaining its goals, you must have the gridwork of roadways it requires. This gridwork of roadways would be similar to a tic-tac-toe board and something that you will find in most downtown urban areas.

That gridwork of roadways is important because it allows traffic to seek alternate routes and redistribute across lesser used roads. By reducing traffic on the designated roadway, you also lower the accident rate for that roadway. Makes sense, right?

Lack of Street Grid in Endwell/Endicott

With barriers of an interstate highway (this is important and commented on more below), railroad tracks and a river, you do not have the grid system of roadways to support this change. In fact, what this change will likely do is further restrict traffic through the Endwell area and eastern Endicott causing significant backups and delays, as well as road rage. It will also cause backups at pinch points, such as Hooper Road and McKinley Ave, where people do attempt to seek alternate routes.

In addition to creating congestion, this reconfiguration also ignores a drainage issue along the Main St roadway and as well as telephone poles that are in close proximity to the roadway. Neither of these issues will be fixed and continue to be a safety concern.

Furthermore, without a bridge from the Hooper Road area of Endwell to African Road in Vestal that includes a highway interchange, this “Road Diet” will likely become one big fat mess that restricts traffic flow and creates more concerns than it fixes!

What does the DOT hope will happen with the new configuration?

Once the transition is completed, the DOT is hoping that traffic will divert to or stay on Interstate 86 / NYS 17. They are hoping that traffic heading east from Endicott will change habits and take McKinley Ave to the highway and traffic heading west from Binghamton to Endicott will take or remain on the highway until the Endicott McKinley Ave route.

 In taking the approach of the DOT, contradicts much of the reasoning and theory behind the lane reduction and the purpose of the highway system.

 It is typically NOT a good idea to reroute local traffic onto an Interstate highway system. Aside from safety, for cities where local traffic was diverted to an Interstate highway system, the need to create a beltway around the city for long distance traffic often became necessary.

What can result by directing local traffic to the highway in the Endwell and Endicott area?

Encouraging traffic to the highway will likely create an increase in fatalities, accidents and undesirable traffic situations. Instead of having the low speed fender bender on main street, moving traffic to the highway will likely increase the fatality rate due to added congestion and high rates of speed associated with highways. Already congested roadways that interchange with the highway, such as Route 201 and Route 26, will likely see a higher rate of accidents and incidents as well.

McKinley Avenue, and its intersections, will see backups, delays and increased accidents due to the added traffic pressures. This is already evident at certain times of the day and with the increase of employment on the Huron Campus.

Additionally, as you leave Endicott to cross over to Vestal, a speed limit of 55 combined with the highway interchange, as well as interchange to access the Vestal Parkway, leaves little room for safe lane or road changes. Mix the high speed of traffic with sluggish merging traffic and those interchanges are already a recipe for disaster.

Build Local, Hire Local Act – Funding to connect divided communities (BLHL Act)

Recognizing that many communities have been divided by highways and even natural barriers, last month, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representative. Karen Bass (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, introduced the Build Local, Hire Local Act (S. 2404 and H.R. 4101 ). This legislation would use federal infrastructure funding as a tool to hire people who live near new infrastructure projects for high-quality jobs. But that’s not the best part of it.

This BLHL Act legislation will provide a technical assistance program and a construction grant program to improve transportation connections in communities divided by highways. If passed, this funding could potentially be used to establish a bridge connection between Endwell and Vestal in the Hooper road vicinity.

Vestal and Endwell are divided communities. There is no way for people walking or bicycling to access between them except by Route 201 in Johnson City or the Exchange St bridge in Western Endicott. Even auto traffic must go out of its way. Thus, they are considered divided communities.

Closing Statement

Travel throughout Greater Binghamton is becoming more difficult. This Route 17C roadway redesign will not only affect travel in Endwell, but will affect travel in adjoining communities, as well.

Thousands of cars needlessly travel miles out of there way every day. Now, with this roadway redesign, thousands of vehicles will be delayed needlessly along the Endwell – Endicott Main street corridor and increase safety issues in other areas.

A simple email to the Department of Transportation could halt this project and bring further attention towards getting an Endwell – Vestal connection that is badly needed and necessary.

You can help correct this by writing a simple email to the Greg Wojcik, Project Manager, Department of Transportation (DOT) at Greg.Wojcik@dot.ny.gov  Please feel free to use the wording below.

“I am against the Route 17C redesign through the Endwell – Endicott corridor that narrows the roadway from four driving lanes. Additionally, I am in support of a direct roadway connection between the Hooper Road area of Endwell to Vestal that also connects to the highway system. Our communities have been divided too long and unnecessarily.”

Your action is the only way to be heard. Take action today.