For Poughkeepsie resident Rosa Tisdale, getting across the city's main arterials, which have three lanes of one-way traffic, can be a daunting and dangerous task.
“When you have to cross in like 10 seconds, that’s a quick 10 seconds," Tisdale said. "Those cars, they don’t be playing. When that light turns green, zoom, and you better not be in the way.”
But changes could be coming after a traffic study was published by the Dutchess County Transportation Council.
What You Need To Know
- A traffic study by the Dutchess County Transportation Council suggested ways to make the Route 9 interchange and Routes 44/55 arterials safer and more accessible
- Suggested changes to the interchange would be to eliminate the current "bow-tie" configuration and switch to a roundabout
- Suggest changes to the arterials would be to go from three one-way lanes to two to give more space for bikes, buses and trucks that need to stop and offload
Mark Debald, program administrator for the council, said the study was a two-year process to determine the best ways to make the busy roadways, as well as the Route 9 interchange, safer and more efficient.
The process included gathering feedback from residents and running simulations.
For the arterials, Debald said the recommended change is to go from three one-way lanes to two, and use the third as a stopping lane. The study concludes that would increase the safety of some of Poughkeepsie’s busiest roads.
“Loading zones for delivery vehicles, which is a huge issue now, especially post-pandemic," Debald said. "And really make the intersections easier to cross for the many folks that do try to cross the arterials on foot.”
At the Route 9 interchange, where cars coming off or getting on have to enter or exit from the left lane, the recommendation is to use roundabouts instead of the existing “bow-tie” configuration.
“There’s a growing familiarity with roundabouts," Debald said. "They do work and they’re a great alternative and a great option for a lot of intersections or merges. And the model kind of bore that out.”
He added the changes would cost about $50 million total, so the most feasible way to do it would be a phased project that would need funding from federal, state and local governments.
Right now, the goal is to start with a stretch of the arterial and make that change of going from three to two lanes as a test.
“There may be some smaller construction projects that can be done," Debald said. "Again, depending on the funding availability.”
For more information on the study, visit the traffic study's website.