Harold  J. Gary : Commissioner

JAMES  E. Steinberg   : Director of operations

 

PUTNAM COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS & FACILIT1ES

 

 

 

 

March 17, 1998

 

Faxed to (202) 225-3289

Hon. Sue Kelly, Congresswoman

1222 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

 

Attention, Mr. Steve Mall

 

Re:       COUNTY OF PUTNAM, STATE OF NEW YORK

ISTEA PROJECT REOUEST

TRANSPORTATION PROJECT EVALUATION  CRITERIA

COUNTY ROUTE 21, PEEKSKILL HOLLOW ROAD

 

Dear Congresswoman Kelly:

 

Attached per your request please find a copy of our response to the fourteen questions in the January 9, 1997 Congressional Record, for Peekskill Hollow Road Renovation project.

 

Thank you again for your time and cooperation.

 

Very truly yours

Putnam County Highways & Facilities Department

 

 

HAROLD  GARY, Commissioner

 

cc: James E. Steinberg, Dir, of Operations

Matthew A. Noviello, P.E.,L.S.,  Supv. of Planning and Design

 

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                    R.R. 9, BOX ~65 FAIR STREET                    CARMEL, NEW YORK 10512

(914)878 -6331         Fax (914)878 -3260

 

 

 

 

 

                   COUNTY OF PUTNAM , STATE OF NEW YORK

 ISTEA PROJECT REQUEST

 

TRANSPORTATION PROJECT EVALUATION CRITERIA

COUNTY  ROUTE 21. PEEKSKIIL HOLLOW ROAD RENOVATION

 

1. The Congressional District that this project is in is the 19th District in New York State-

 

2, The qualified grant recipient is the County of Putnam, a municipal corporation in the State of New York.

 

3.      This project is eligible for Federal Funds, Part of the this road is an Urban Minor Arterial, labeled U516l and part is a Rural Secondary Collector, labeled S8403.

 

4. Putnam County is a rural, bedroom community. It has been affectionately called where the urban meets the country. Most of the working population commutes to work outside the County. Most of the comuters travel south to work. Most of the State Highways, State Parkways, the Interstate Highways and the railroads go north-south through Putnam County.

 

County Route 21, Peekskill Hollow Road is our longest County Highway. Peekskill Hollow Road cuts diagonally northeast to southwest across the center of the County. The northeast end terminates at New York State Route 301. Peekskill Hollow Road intersects the Taconic State Parkway and continues southwest to the County line where the name changes to Oregon Road and then North Division Street in the City of Peekskill. In Peekskill it intersects the Bear Mountain Parkway.

 

The A.D.T. counts for Peekskill Hollow Road are 4100 for the Urban Minor Arterial and 2800 for the Rural Secondary Collector section. Additionally, due to the horrendous humps and bad curves on peekskill Hollow Road, it has the distinction of having the highest fatality rate of any of our County Highways. During the past five years there have been two accidents on Peekskill Hollow Road that cost a total of three lives. There have been numerous less severe accidents.

 

Peekskill Hollow Road is in need of a major rebuilding. The road was originally constructed as a trail during colonial times. There were no heavy equipment available to remove humps and valleys or ledge rock. Consequently, the road has several very sharp dips and humps and meandering horizontal curves. The pavement itself is very narrow, only about 20 feet wide. Along most of the road there are no shoulders at all.

 

This project will include making vertical and horizontal geometry improvements to several sub-standard curves on Peekskill Hollow Road. The humps and dips that currently can hide vehicles will be removed. The road will be upgraded to A.A.S.H.T.O. standards including twelve foot wide traveled lanes and four toot wide shoulders.

 

 

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5.     The total project cost is $11.0 million. Putnam County anticipates 50% funding $8.8 million) from the Federal sources. We also anticipate requesting 15% reimbursement from New York State.

 

6.    Of the $11.0 million, we anticipate obligating $1.1 million the first year, $7.0 million the second year and the balance the third year.

 

7.    Preliminary engineering for this project has begun. We have also completed 90% of the engineering for the two most critical crossing box culverts. These two culverts will be replaced in 1998.

 

If this project is funded this year we will install two or three of the culverts, remove the worst humps and dips and com­plete the engineering for the entire project this year. Next we would begin the balance of the road rebuilding.

 

8.    This project has not met the selection criteria for the Transportation Improvement Program project list selection process of the Mid-Hudson South Transportation Coordinating Committee.

 

9.    This project is not considered critical to their needs by the New York State Department of Transportation Region 8 Officials.

 

10.    As outlined in item 4. above, this project is significant to the local region.

 

11.    A significant portion of this project is in the New York City Watershed. This project like every other project in the N.Y.C. Watershed raises environmental concerns. However, existing technology has provided adequate environmental protection methods to ensure that the watershed will not be significantly affected.

 

12.    The main economlc benefit will be to allow faster commuting south to Westchester and New York City and north to State Highway 301. This will save commuter time and encourage business  opportunities.

 

The main energy, efficiency, environmental, congestion mitigation benefits will be to greatly reduce the time wasted meandering along an old paved cow path. This will save the speeding up and slowing dowr~ currently necessary, thereby saving fuel and reducing pollution. Faster and more efficient access to the Peekskill train station will encourage the use of trains instead of cars, saving fuel and reducing pollution.

 

Additionally, currently with the narrow lanes it would he suicidal to attempt to ride a bicycle on Peekskill Hollow Road. With full width lanes, shoulders and adequate sight distances, faster moving vehicles would be able to safely pass bicycles

 

 

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Bicycle riding would naturally spawn and grow.

 

The main safety benefits that these improvements will pro­vide are safer travel. Fatal accidents should effectively be eliminated. Property damage accidents should be reduced to a neglxqible level.

 

13.   As explained in item 8. above, this project did not receive a high enough priority on the T.I.P

 

14.   The request amount of funding has not changed.