Big Route 121 Construction Project Delayed, Road Will Not Close Monday

NORTH SALEM, NY — Contractors will not be shutting down Route 121 next week, North Salem Supervisor Warren Lucas said on Thursday.

The three-week full road closure of Route 121 for culvert replacement originally scheduled to start Monday, July 18 is delayed because contractors are waiting for New York State Electric and Gas Corporation (NYSE&G) to complete pole work, according to Lucas.

Lucas said earlier this month that the contractors did some minor work at the culvert location near Pietsch Gardens Coop in order to get ready for NYSE&G, Verizon and Cablevision to place a new pole and move their wires over to it. This was expected to take place last week, but is instead holding the project up for now, according to Lucas.

SEE ALSO:

• Route 121 Update: Roadwork Will Pick Up Steam In Coming Days
• Route 121 'Big Dig' Could Create Summer Traffic Chaos In Westchester

Officials announced last month that for most of the summer, at least one lane of Route 121 will be closed because the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) will be working on a large cement culvert beneath Route 121 around the southern portion of Peach Lake, specifically at the Pietsch Garden Cooperative at Cottage Ln.

The work is scheduled to take up to four months to complete. During that time, the roadway will have one lane open most of the time. However, there will be a three-week period when both lanes of Route 121 will be closed.

Traffic will be routed using regular and digital signs at nearby intersections.

The detour is expected to affect local and commuter traffic sending them north to Route 6 and morning commuter traffic from exit 21 on I-84 north to Route 6 to Starr Ridge Road and down Starr Ridge Road to Bloomer Road. The detour will also be sending that traffic back into Connecticut over Starr Ridge Road and much of it will also take Route 116 into Connecticut.

A map of this detour can be seen here.

The work is necessary because the beams supporting the current roadway are collapsing. Currently, a small metal plate is in place to help support the side of the southbound lane.

North Salem officials held a meeting with the DOT and the contractor last month at the 66 June Road facility, along with members of the Croton Falls Fire Department (CFFD), North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the North Salem Police Department (NSPD). Lucas said at the time they were disheartened since the original estimate the DOT gave them called for a two-week complete closure but has since been updated to a three-week complete closure.

The supervisor said that the longer closure will have a greater impact for emergency services and their ability to cover the east side of Peach Lake in the event of a crisis. The CFFD will be requesting stepped-up mutual aid coverage from the Brewster Fire Department and the Danbury Fire Department while the road remains closed.

The hamlet of Peach Lake is located in both North Salem (Westchester County) and the town of Southeast (Putnam County).