Gridlock fix in works By KATHY KAHN

Gridlock fix in works
By KATHY KAHN

If you have any reason at all to drive near Woodbury Common in Central Valley, read on.

Plumes of exhaust and steaming-mad drivers still remain in the minds of residents after living through “Black Friday” 2004. That’s the day Woodbury Common’s Thanksgiving holiday shoppers brought the entire Route 32/Route 17/I-87 Exit 16 interchange to a halt for nearly five hours as shoppers battled to exit the mall.

Ten-million mall visitors each year and millions of commuters and tourists funnel into the thruway’s (I-87) Exit 16 tollbooths.

The Southeast Regional Task Force has been meeting to solve the area’s traffic problem for years. Since February, town of Woodbury Supervisor John Burke has been leading a citizens’ advisory committee trying to solve the same dilemma of getting the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to fix the growing traffic burden caused by shop-till-you-droppers at the mega outlet.

Sept. 27, Scott Geiger of the DOT’s Region 8 office came to Central Valley Elementary School armed with a rendering of the agency’s proposed rerouting of thruway traffic. About 40 residents and a smattering of local planners showed up to listen to the latest proposal.

Plans call for eliminating an existing exit that offers both a direct route into Woodbury Common and a secondary road leading directly onto Route 32. That exit ramp will be closed, with an elaborate loop, bringing cars, trucks and buses around and under the existing Route 17 overpass, creating a figure-8 to enter and exit Woodbury Common without having to use local roads.

Under the plan, three of the eight traffic lights that have been placed along Route 32 will also disappear. That may make life a bit easier for the thousands of commuters who play “beat the lights” as they travel south along the Route 32 corridor to the tollbooths or to the Harriman Train Station.

Geiger estimated the cost of the new loop plan to be between $25 million and $35 million, with construction starting sometime in mid-2009 and ending 18 to 24 months after breaking ground.

Woodbury Common borders the thruway, raising the question: Why not just do the simple thing? Build a ramp from the thruway directly into the Common, eliminating the need for closing exits and the creation of a $35 million loop road to accommodate shoppers.

The New York State Thruway Authority and the DOT are two separate agencies, and when it comes to solving the traffic tie-ups at the Exit 16 tollbooths and roads leading to Woodbury common, it appears the adage “Never the twain shall meet” applies to the agencies.

The authority is experiencing its share of problems. Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s has given the agency a “negative” rating after its toll revenue declined. The authority blamed the drop in revenue on rising gas prices, keeping people at home or using public transportation.

The downgrade means it will cost more to borrow, something the Thruway Authority would like to avoid as it strives to meet its $2.6 billion capital-improvement plan, which includes repair of, or replacing, the Tappan Zee Bridge.

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