NYSDOT Releases Onondaga Lake Parkway Project Study Report

ALBANY, NY (05/26/2011)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald today announced the release of an Onondaga Lake Parkway traffic safety study that recommends implementing a commercial vehicle ban on the highway and the installation of an over-height vehicle detection system to address bridge hits.

The report, presented at today's Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council (SMTC) executive board of directors meeting, evaluates safety concerns regarding cross-over and run-off-the-road crashes on the Parkway -- NY Route 370 -- between I-81 and Old Liverpool Road, as well as the low-clearance CSX Railroad bridge.

"This report details a wide range of options for improving the safety of the Onondaga Lake Parkway, some that we already have implemented and other, more long-term solutions that we can consider for the future," Commissioner McDonald said. "The State Department of Transportation will continue to aggressively implement measures to improve traffic safety on this busy highway."

The report, originally intended to address only cross-over and run-off-the-road crashes on the parkway, was expanded last year at the request of Onondaga County Executive Joanne Mahoney to assess clearance issues with the railroad bridge.

A double-decker coach bus crashed into the bridge last September, killing four people and injuring others. The driver was charged May 9th with criminally negligent homicide. A truck struck the bridge on May 11, but no injuries or damage to the bridge occurred.

Since last fall, the State Department of Transportation has taken a variety of steps to improve traffic safety on the Parkway and ensure that the drivers of over-height vehicles are aware of the bridge:

· A 30 mile-per-hour speed limit was extended about 900 feet to the east to slow traffic near various park entrances;

· Electronic signs showing vehicular speeds have been used at different locations to discourage aggressive driving;

· Local police agencies, including the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department, have stepped up traffic enforcement on the highway at NYSDOT's request;

· Centerline rumble strips, or audible roadway delineators, were installed Monday between the eastbound and westbound lanes to alert drivers when they are in danger of crossing into the opposing highway travel lane;

· NYSDOT crews early this spring removed brush and trees to make the bridge and the signs leading up to it more visible. There are seven signs eastbound and 13 signs westbound that warn of the low bridge and its 10'9" clearance, including three in each direction within ¾ of a mile of the bridge, three of them with flashing beacons;

· "Low bridge Ahead" pavement markings were installed Tuesday in advance of the CSX bridge in both directions to augment the many highway signs;

· A closed-circuit camera was installed to feed into the regional Traffic Management Center to monitor activities near the bridge. Two additional cameras are scheduled to be installed this year;

In addition, NYSDOT plans to install new directional signs this construction season for the bus and train station in order to reduce potential confusion about its location. NYSDOT also plans to install an over-height vehicle detection and warning system on the Parkway so that the drivers of vehicles too tall for the bridge can stop before reaching it.

The report released today documents accident histories along the parkway and provides preliminary studies of six highway and seven bridge alternatives aimed at reducing the number and severity of accidents. It also includes several suggestions submitted by the public for consideration.

The report can be accessed on-line as either a PDF or a Microsoft Word document at the following links:

https://www.nysdot.gov/news/repository/OnondagaLakeParkwayTrafficSafetyStudy.pdf

https://www.nysdot.gov/news/repository/OnondagaLakeParkwayTrafficSafetyStudy.doc.

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