Construction on Erie Boulevard in Schenectady ends for winter

Construction of the city’s first roundabout will end today for the winter.

City Engineer Chris Wallin said drivers will get a break from construction at Erie Boulevard and Nott Street for about three months, but when work picks up again in March, traffic snarls are expected to be even worse.

“Wednesday is the official last day of roundabout construction at the intersection for this year,” he said. “It will resume in March for the geometry of the roundabout. We will do new approaches, the center circle itself and will start to shape and construct the roundabout.”

Traffic flow will be impacted more than during the construction of the initial phase in August through November, Wallin said. Traffic will be moved to one side of the intersection or the other as work progresses.

Rifenburg Construction of Troy has completed underground utility work and replaced the city’s existing water line — dating back to 1908 — and also installed a new storm drainage system for the roundabout and Nott Street.

“The geometry of the roundabout it a trickier operation,” Wallin said. “There will be temporary lanes to shift traffic. The goal is to send all of the traffic to one side of the intersection. At one point traffic may have to be split.”

Wallin said he is pleased with the work and traffic flow for the initial phase of the project. Erie Boulevard has since been milled and paved in preparation for the winter.

“Plows wouldn’t have an issue and we are not expected to have an issue with potholes,” he said. “Everything is now smooth and safe. It’s actually better than it was before.”

Construction of the roundabout is expected to be done by July 1, Wallin said.

The $2.9 million project is being funded largely by the state and federal governments, with the city of Schenectady responsible for 5 percent of the total cost.

Rifenburg is also working nearby on the site of the former Alco locomotive factory, off Erie Boulevard, now called Mohawk Harbor. Once built, the roundabout will provide direct access into the site.

Plans for Mohawk Harbor by Rotterdam developer the Galesi Group includes housing, hotels, office and retail space, a 50-boat-slip harbor and the Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor.

The roundabout will decrease the width of Erie Boulevard and help to smooth the flow of traffic at the busy intersection, especially with the casino opening by mid-2017, which is projected to bring hundreds of additional drivers.

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