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Canton town board sends requests to state DOT to lower speed limit in wake of Grasse River bridge work

Posted 4/20/18

By ADAM ATKINSON CANTON -- In anticipation of heavier traffic flow on auxiliary routes into downtown as commuters attempt to avoid the Route 11 bridge rehabilitation which begins this week (Tuesday, …

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Canton town board sends requests to state DOT to lower speed limit in wake of Grasse River bridge work

Posted

By ADAM ATKINSON

CANTON -- In anticipation of heavier traffic flow on auxiliary routes into downtown as commuters attempt to avoid the Route 11 bridge rehabilitation which begins this week (Tuesday, April 24), the town is asking the state Department of Transportation to lower the posted speed limit on Eddy-Pyrites and Miner Street roads.

The Eddy-Pyrites Road to Miner Street Road is one of the main secondary routes into the village from Route 11 south of Canton, and at least one resident is concerned about greater traffic flow there in the wake of the work on the Route 11 bridge over the Grasse River. Resident John Casserly lobbied the town board earlier this month to ask the DOT to drop the speed on the roads, which are about 18 feet wide.

At a special meeting Thursday night, the town board passed two resolutions supporting measures which they hope will lead to greater traffic safety while the construction project is underway.

The first resolution supports temporarily changing the speed of all the town roads crossing the Grasse River, specifically the Eddy Pyrites and Miner Street roads. These two town roads have been identified by the town’s Complete Streets Task Force and advertised by St. Lawrence University as a southern-bypass route around the construction.

At the meeting earlier this month, Casserly pointed out to the board that the Miner Street Road is a multi-use highway, featuring all kinds of traffic including joggers, walkers, bicyclists, skaters, and college athletes training, in addition to regular residential and commercial traffic.

The current speed limit on the road outside the village is 55 miles per hour.

The town is asking the DOT to lower that limit to 45 miles per hour, and offered in the support resolution to have Canton police help enforce it.

A second resolution passed by the board announces the town’s intention to seek funding from the state to pay for centerline striping on both roads.

The cost of striping is estimated to be around $700 a mile, said highway superintendent Terry Billings earlier this month.

The town believes that centerline striping would prevent drivers from passing other cars on the road.

Town Supervisor Mary Ann Ashley sent the resolutions to the DOT Friday, April 20, but was unsure when the town would hear back from the department regarding the requests.

State DOT spokesman Michael Flick said Friday that the workers would be mobilizing for the Route 11 Bridge work on Monday and commence construction on Tuesday, April 24.

The $2 million project will remove and replace the existing concrete wearing surface on the bridge deck, and replace the curb and sidewalk on the bridge. The armor joints on the bridge will also be replaced and the bearings will be rehabilitated. New lighting will be installed on the bridge as well to enhance visibility for motorists.

Bridge traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction in Canton.

The construction work and rehabilitation is expected to take most of the summer and be completed later this fall.

An extensive Route 11 rehabilitation project through the center of the downtown business district several years ago caused extensive traffic delays for residents, and led to many residents and commuters plotting and discovering new, underutilized routes with their GPS apps around the work. During that construction, several other routes using the town’s back roads became heavily used by commuters.