Glenville roundabout to be built next year

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Goot

Construction won’t start this year on a roundabout at the intersection of Glenridge Road and Maple Avenue, as state Department of Transportation officials had hoped.

DOT spokeswoman Carol Breen said roundabout construction was originally planned for 2013 but officials thought they could push it up to 2012.

“We were trying to move the project along a little more quickly, so we could get things done a little earlier,” she said.

However, Breen said there have been weather delays and it has taken longer than expected to relocate utilities for the project. As a result, officials decided to hold off until next year on the roundabout.

“It’s not something you can start and do half of it this year and do half of it next year,” she said.

DOT officials have said the roundabout is needed to process traffic more efficiently through that intersection. Glenridge Road is projected to carry 12,500 vehicles per day by 2020 — 1,500 more than it currently does.

This morning from about 6 or 7 to noon, crews will be doing some paving. Breen said Glenridge Road will remain open but there may be alternating one-way traffic. She said DOT won’t be doing any more weekend work on the project for the rest of the year.

Construction on the $12 million Glenridge Road project remains on schedule and on budget, according to Breen. This is the second year of the three-year project to widen a 1-mile section of the road from Maple Avenue to Route 146 to create 11-foot travel lanes and 6-foot shoulders.

Two railroad underpasses are also being widened. One is currently so narrow that only one lane of traffic can pass at a time, with traffic flow controlled by a signal.

Most of last year’s work involved relocating utilities. This year’s work started in the spring and involved installing a new drainage system and regrading the road to reduce its steep slope. Breen said DOT hopes to complete the new railroad bridges by the end of the year.

Drivers will have to take alternate routes next spring, when Glenridge Road has to be completely closed for the summer to finish installation of the roundabout and replace the bridge over Alplaus Kill. The entire project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2013.

Traffic has been flowing for the most part during the construction, according to Breen.

“I’m told from staff on site that the delays have been minimal — no longer than five minutes at the worst,” she said.

Glenville town Supervisor Chris Koetzle agreed the roadwork has only been a minor inconvenience.

“I think you just have to plan for a couple extra minutes,” he said.

Koetzle said commuters seem to be adjusting.

“I think everyone has been really prepared for it and used to it because it’s been going on so long,” he said. “I think they’re doing a good job keeping the traffic flowing.”