Install an additional exit or traffic light at Calkins Rd & Red Creek Dr

436

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The Issue

I work at a large medical office complex in Henrietta, NY, situated at the intersection of Calkins Rd and Red Creek Drive. Every day, my colleagues, our patients, and I face unnecessary risks due to the traffic congestion and limited access to this essential healthcare facility, which comprises six buildings with only one entrance and exit. The current infrastructure not only causes significant delays but also compromises the safety of everyone visiting or working here.

This intersection needs an additional exit or a traffic light to facilitate smooth and safe passage. With hundreds of people entering and exiting the complex daily, the existing single access point is not only inadequate but also poses a potential threat during emergencies when every second counts. This becomes particularly important during peak hours when traffic is dense and navigating in and out of the complex becomes even more challenging.

Consider the consequences: emergency vehicles could be delayed when time is of the essence, patients may miss critical medical appointments, and congestion could lead to more traffic accidents—all due to inadequate access. These factors jeopardize the well-being of our community.

Data shows that medical and healthcare facilities with limited access points report higher incidences of traffic-related incidents and delays in emergency response time. By simply adding another exit or installing a traffic light at this busy intersection, we can significantly reduce these risks and ensure everyone’s safety.

This is not just about convenience—it's about ensuring the safety and efficiency of medical services in our area. A practical infrastructure improvement such as this can make a tremendous difference.

We urge the local government and transportation authorities to assess this situation urgently and take measures to enhance roadway safety and accessibility at the Calkins Rd and Red Creek Drive intersection. Please stand with us to request an immediate review and action to address this critical need.

Sign this petition to demand a safer, more accessible access point to our medical complex. Your support can lead to impactful change that safeguards our community’s well-being.

The Decision Makers

Stephen Schultz
Henrietta Town Supervisor
Responded
Calkins Road is a County Road, so any decisions regarding new traffic lights would be up to them. As far as what the Town has discussed, I can answer that. Because of the railroad to the east, the creek to the south, and the park to the east, I really don't see where a second exit could be added. The answer, it seems to me, would be to put a light there. But as I said, that is a County decision. What we have been trying to do is get the owner of the former Golf Dome, Eric Rueckwald, to sell or lease that property on the northwest corner of Calkins and Hylan so it can be developed. Specifically, I am trying to get him to work with CDS Monarch, who would be willing to build affordable housing for veterans there. It would be a great location, with its proximity to the Town Hall complex and its proximity to the VA Center. I have also spoken to Congressman Morelle about getting congressionally directed funding to build a new Legion Hall at the same site, as their current hall is an old house, is undersized, and the bar is in the basement, which does not work well for the Vietnam veterans who predominate the organization. If that were to happen, we would have them move the entrance to line up with Red Creek so as to form a four-way intersection and then work with the MCDOT to put in a light there. It would likely be slaved to the light at Calkins. While I do not believe I was talking to the MCDOT Director, Tom Frys, copied in on this email, I was talking to some of their engineers about that possibility. I do not know whether the County would consider installing the light prior to that development of the former Golf Dome. If they are, we could take a look at creating a traffic improvement district which would allow the County to do the work paid for by a bond and then the annual debt service on that bond would be billed to the affected properties through their tax bills. I would need to make sure that if UR owns the building, that they would pay their share of those taxes — the UR is exempt from a lot of taxes, but I don't know if a special district like that is one of them. I would include in the district all of the properties on Red Creek as well as the Rueckwald property. In the meantime, since the UR took over many of the labs and even entire buildings on Red Creek, we have seen that a great many of the offices all let out at once, where they used to let out at staggered times. The result is a crush of vehicles trying to get out. The traffic stacks up and people can't turn right. We're talking about extending the northbound right turn lane from its current roughly 75' length to about 250' length. That would allow a lot more people just turning right to sneak past all of the people waiting to turn left. The issue is that this is not cheap and it is not in our current budget. But again, perhaps this could be done as part of an improvement district. Or perhaps we will have additional paving time and material. But it is non-trivial since it requires a box-out, new curbing, new stone base, and all new pavement. - Steve Stephen L. Schultz Henrietta Town Supervisor [Change.org provides a tool that allows petition starters and supporters to email decision makers directly from our platform. The message above is sent in reply to one of these emails from the petition starter.]
Joseph Morelle
U.S. House of Representatives - New York 25th Congressional District
Adam Bello
Monroe County Executive
Kathy Hochul
New York Governor
Thomas Frys
Thomas Frys
Director of the Monroe County DOT

Supporter Voices

Petition Updates