County Legislators Approve $8M for Columbus Avenue Rehab Project
By Neal Rentz and Martin Wilbur
The county Board of Legislators has approved construction funds for a major rehabilitation of a 2.2-mile stretch of Columbus Avenue in Mount Pleasant.
The $8.2 million funding package, which was passed on June 18, will pay for a complete repaving, milling, joint and crack remediation, resurfacing and concrete curb replacement from Lakeview Avenue in Valhalla to Nannyhagen Road in Thornwood, said County Legislator Margaret Cunzio (C-Mount Pleasant). The money includes a previously-approved $870,000 bond act for design expenses.
Installation of sidewalk ramps that are compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, new traffic loops, pavement markings and related work are also part of the project.
Work for the 12- to 15-month project is expected to begin after it goes out to bid and the contract has been awarded, probably in a couple of months, Cunzio said.
“This section of Columbus Avenue is a critical artery for Mount Pleasant residents, students and businesses,” she said. “This project will leave the roadway itself in excellent condition for decades to come. Equally important, this project makes the Columbus Avenue corridor safer and more inviting for pedestrians, students and people using the BeeLine Bus system.”
Columbus Avenue is a four-lane thoroughfare that has an average daily traffic count of 20,000 vehicles. The road received an overall Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rating of 71 in 2016, the last time there was a rating issued for the road. However, there are portions of the road that have a PCI in the 50s, she said. The PCI is based on a top score of 100, although roads in the Northeast rarely are rated above 80.
Other items included in the project are the installation of a new eight-foot sidewalk from Columbus Elementary School to the Rose Hill Shopping Center and a lit bus shelter on Columbus Avenue for the stop near the shopping center. Cunzio said while it will be the county’s responsibility to build the sidewalks, the Town of Mount Pleasant has agreed to maintain them.
“We really need that,” Cunzio said of the sidewalks. “There’s been a lot more pedestrian traffic on that stretch of road and right now without sidewalks, especially in winter when the snow is piled up on the side, it’s really a pedestrian safety issue.”
The county Department of Public Works will also consider minor alterations to traffic light patterns at the intersection of Lakeview and Columbus to more safely accommodate vehicles making a turn at that intersection, Cunzio said.
Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi said last week he was thankful for the grant.
“I am grateful for our County Legislator Margaret Cunzio’s persistence on this topic and am looking forward to seeing this project move forward as soon as possible,” he said.
There are no details yet regarding any detours or road closures but that information will be shared once the project’s schedule has been created, Fulgenzi said.
Commerce Street Intersection Redesign
Cunzio said the other significant county road project in Mount Pleasant, the redesign of the Y-shaped intersection on Commerce Street near Gordo’s Restaurant, is still in the design phase.
While the county last year appropriated $375,000 for the design work, Cunzio said the project is complicated because it calls for a complete redesign of the intersection, forcing delays in having the project progress.
“I don’t want people to think that we forgot about it,” she said. “We’re on top of that.”
The area is the site of a pedestrian fatality a few years ago, Cunzio said.
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