State Allots $3 Million To Study Improvements To Route 9A

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, NY — A study of the many problems of Route 9A has been funded in the FY2023 State Budget.

Local officials and state legislators, including New York State Senators Pete Harckham, Tim Kennedy and Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, Assemblymember Sandra Galef, Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi, Ossining Supervisor Dana Levenberg and Croton-on-Hudson Mayor Brian Pugh, made the announcement Friday at a news conference hosted by Briarcliff Manor Mayor Steven Vescio outside the Briarcliff Animal Hospital, just several yards away from the busy north-south roadway.

"This important first step will lead to critical improvements to this busy parkway and provide a safe roadway for the residents of Briarcliff and all those traveling on Route 9A," Vescio said.

The study is a reason to celebrate, Galef said. "This historic road was never meant to be a thoroughfare for large trucks and sanitation vehicles. The time is now to identify major road improvements for our future motorists.”

More than 40,000 vehicles travel Route 9A daily, including passenger cars, SUVs, emergency transports, concrete mixers, delivery vans, landscaping trucks with equipment trailers and large 12-wheelers.

The portion of Route 9A to be studied poses a significant risk to motorists. It has narrow shoulders, low-clearance underpasses and general design deficiencies, all of which put a major strain on traffic, as well as on the first responders who answer emergencies and deal with the more than 120 crashes on this stretch of roadway each year.

“For too many years, this very busy stretch of state highway, with its dangerous intersections, lack of a breakdown lane and poor drainage that negatively impacts adjacent neighborhoods, has required serious upgrading, and now we are finally moving forward,” said Harckham.

The cost for a study of Route 9A was seen in prior years as being too prohibitive, Harckham noted, but by working with the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and Reichlin-Melnick, with whom he shares part of the roadway in their respective Senate districts, the funding was secured finally.

"Securing funding for this project was a top priority of mine in this year’s budget, and thanks to a collaborative effort of state officials and the strong advocacy of local residents and officials, we are finally seeing some progress with a commitment of $3 million from the Department of Transportation to study how to improve this dangerous stretch of road," said Reichlin-Melnick.

The study is based upon legislation that Harckham and Galef have introduced (and which Reichlin-Melnick and state Assemblyman Tom Abinanti have cosponsored) regularly in the last few years.

The study is limited to the portion of Route 9A within the Towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining, so it includes the Village of Briarcliff (which is in both towns). The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will conduct the study, which will include: the estimated total cost of new guardrail installation; estimated total cost of underpass renovations to accommodate commercial vehicles (some do not fit under the Pleasantville Road bridge); estimated duration of the project; the impact construction will have on local traffic patterns; and the environmental impact of the project.

As the study proceeds, the state lawmakers recognize that areas for cooperation between agencies who have purview over this project and / or relevant properties need to be identified, and their input will be solicited and incorporated into the study as well.

"The highway is nearly 100 years old and we travel so much differently now than we did when it was constructed—this funding will allow the DOT to take a good look at how our modern-day traffic volumes can be better accounted for," said Ossining Mayor Rika Levin.

To see a video of the press conference, click here.

The terrible pothole problem on 9A sparked this post on the Briarcliff Community Facebook group recently.