Somers plans ahead for traffic disruptions during Route 202 project

SOMERS, N.Y. - Somers has been acting proactively in the hopes of minimizing disruptions during an upcoming culvert replacement project on Route 202, one of the town’s main drags, says Supervisor Robert Scorrano.

The construction site is located near Warren Street, between Somers Middle School and Fireman’s Field.

Work and the road closure begins on Monday, June 29 and is expected take about eight weeks to complete.

Detour signs will be put up in the coming weeks and Portable Variable Message Signs (PVMS) will be deployed in advance of the closure to notify motorists and provide traffic information.

The state Department of Transportation had originally wanted to start the multi-million-dollar endeavor in February but agreed to hold off until school was out for the summer.

If it hadn’t, the project could have impacted 19 different school bus routes.

That would have meant keeping some children in transit for an additional 35 or 45 minutes.

“I could never imagine a kindergartner or first graders being on a bus, trying to get back and forth from school, for an hour and a half,” Scorrano said at the Town Board’s June 5 work session.

It also could have affected the times schools open and close as well as their after-hours activities.

Detours will be posted and other signs placed to alert drivers to the situation.

The intent is to divert traffic away from Heritage Hills and NOT into the 1,000-plus-acre condominium community, he emphasized.

Scorrano explained that the town didn’t want to release details, such as exact detour routes, too early in case something changed and it had to “backtrack.”

“Our goal is to provide residents with accurate information, not information that may later need to be revised,” he wrote.

This is not something that just happened overnight.

According to Scorrano, the town has been actively engaged with the DOT and other “stakeholders to discuss traffic impacts, school transportation, emergency services access, signage, commuter routes, and neighborhood concerns.”

Multiple task force meetings have been held involving police, fire, highway, school district, and Heritage Hills residents, as well as engineers, DOT officials, and representatives from Assemblyman Matt Slater's office.

The task force held community meetings, most recently on June 3, at the Heritage Hills Community Center so folks there could ask questions about the project and the ongoing coordination efforts, he wrote.

Scorrano advised people to check in at the town’s website, www.somersny.gov, for updates and also to sign up for CodeRED alerts.

Safety Issue

Scorrano spoke to the “why” of the project in a social media post. He also brought the project up at the Town Board’s June 4 work session.

“A culvert is a critical piece of infrastructure that allows water to safely pass beneath the roadway,” and like bridges, roads, and drainage systems, they have “a lifespan” and must be repaired or replaced when they no longer longer meet “safety and engineering standards,” he wrote.

The DOT determined that the culvert in question had reached the point where total  replacement was necessary.

“This is not a cosmetic improvement or a convenience project. It is a critical infrastructure and public safety project designed to ensure the long-term integrity of the roadway and the drainage system beneath it,” Scorrano explained.

“This is a great project for the town,” he noted on June 4, adding that it had been diligently pursuing the state for funding to fix roads and infrastructure. “And we finally have some of that funding coming our way.”

According to Scorrano, the state has dedicated approximately $15 million in planned infrastructure improvements in Somers just this year.

Those include: $6 million for the two culvert replacement projects (Route 202/Warren Street and Route 100) and $9 million for the repaving of Routes 202, 118, and 139.

“For years, residents have asked for greater investment in state roads and infrastructure. We are now seeing those investments come to Somers,” he wrote.

The task force plans to meet again with the DOT on June 22, at which time the town expects to receive further details regarding traffic management and project operations.

“No one is suggesting this project will be convenient. Road closures rarely are. However, allowing critical infrastructure to continue deteriorating is not a responsible option,” Scorrano wrote, adding that while it’s not the town's project, it still is responsible for advocating for residents, communicating accurate information, and working with the DOT to minimize impacts on the community.

“That is exactly what we have been doing since November and what we will continue to do throughout the duration of this project,” Scorrano promised in his social media post.

Right now, the town is in a "good spot" because it still has a couple of weeks to “fine tune” things.

“Will there be hurdles? Will there be disruptions? Will issues arise? Yes, probably. Let’s not think that everything will always go smoothly. But we have a great team, and we’ll get through it,” Scorrano said at the June 4 meeting.