NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - Two simultaneous culvert replacement projects this month, paired with work already being done on I-684, are expected to add to North Salem’s — and other towns’ — traffic woes.
The state Department of Transportation has confirmed that Routes 22 and 121 (Peach Lake Road) will both be closed to through traffic on Monday, Nov. 9.
Detour signs will be activated at 9 a.m. that morning.
In the former’s case, the construction site is located near Valeria Circle in the southern part of North Salem; in the latter, it’s near the NYSEG substation in Peach Lake, where the road crosses a tributary of the Titicus River.
Work on I-684 is already causing traffic backups, and the two culvert projects are expected to make things a whole lot worse, according to Supervisor Warren Lucas.
"It's going to be a mess,” he glumly predicted on Monday, Nov. 2.
Somers, Bedford and Lewisboro are also bracing for the impact.
North Salem officials are worried about commuter traffic spilling over onto Route 116 (June Road), where the elementary, middle and high schools are located.
The town has asked the DOT to install temporary traffic lights there to help mitigate the impact.
There is one “shining light” in the darkness, said Lucas — the Route 22 project, which was originally estimated to take eight to 10 weeks, is now being promised as a four-week deal.
He wasn’t sure how long the Route 121 culvert project is going to take.
Halston Media reached out to the DOT, which confirmed the Nov. 9 Route 22 closing date.
When the NYSDOT closes Route 22, there will be no through traffic allowed between Route 116 at the traffic light in Purdys and Route 138 in Goldens Bridge, according to the town.
Residents who live south of the culvert project will need to proceed south to Route 138. Residents who live north of the culvert project will need to proceed north to Route 116.
Detour signs will be posted.
All access to Valeria Circle and Morris Road from Route 22 will be closed.
Residents who live in the Candlewood Park neighborhood (Valeria Circle, Morris Road, Stephen Road and Jessitar Road) will have to enter and exit the neighborhood via Nash Road and will only be able to proceed south from there.
The Katonah-Lewisboro School District is coordinating school bus routes and will reach out to affected families directly.
Lucas plans to alert Google, owner of Waze, a GPS navigation app for drivers that provides real-time traffic updates and road hazard alerts, so it knows which roads will be off-limits.
Two aging culverts were recently replaced by the DOT in nearby Somers — on Routes 202 and 100.
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