North Castle Signs IMA With Mt. Pleasant to Replace Culvert
The North Castle Town Board approved its half of an intermunicipal agreement with the Town of Mount Pleasant to replace a culvert where Whippoorwill Crossing intersects with Route 120 at the town line.
On July 26, the board also unanimously voted to approve the Armonk-based Kellard Sessions to be the engineering firm that oversees the project. The IMA is subject to the Mount Pleasant Town Board agreeing to the plan, including the use of Kellard Sessions. Mount Pleasant had proposed using Manganaro Engineers of Hawthorne to do the work.
North Castle Supervisor Michael Schiliro said the culvert has been shut for about a year and a half and the town decided to take the initiative to get the project done. He said once work begins it will take several months for the new culvert to be installed and the road reopened. The project is estimated to cost $300,000.
“We took this upon ourselves to just get this done,” Schiliro said. “So, we’ve been communicating with the Town of Mount Pleasant, with their on-staff engineer and corresponding with their town supervisor, and because it’s split evenly and the costs will be shared evenly, we’re sort of taking the lead on it.”
Councilman Stephen D’Angelo said he was more comfortable using Kellard Sessions because the estimate for the work was about $5,000 less.
The work will be shared between the two municipalities because the town line is in the watercourse, a tributary of the Bronx River.
While the board set in motion the mechanism to have the culvert replaced, North Castle officials are considering a separate but related improvement in the vicinity of the culvert. Following complaints from the public, including one neighboring homeowner, the town is looking to make a slight reconfiguration to the southern entrance to Whippoorwill Crossing to limit speed and increase safety.
Engineer Joseph Cremele said the entrance to Whippoorwill Crossing mimics a highway exit ramp rather than a turn onto a street.
“What I think is happening out here is that cars tend to continue at whatever speed they’re at on (Route) 120, and they continue at that same speed until they ultimately slow down to make a right,” Cremele said. “If we can do something, modify that intersection a little bit, enough where it forces you to slow down a little to make a subtle turn, and then continue.”
He recommended against forming a T-intersection because of the existence of the nearby watercourse, which would require involvement of the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
However, working with the state Department of Transportation (DOT) will also be required because any improvements will be made close to Route 120, a state road. Until there’s a meeting with DOT, it is unclear where state ownership ends and the town road begins.
Between a difficult left turn onto Whippoorwill Crossing from southbound Route 120 and concerns for motorists returning to Route 120, the town has sought to enhance safety at that location. Police Chief Peter Simonsen said there have been six accidents at the intersection since 2012, although none have resulted in injuries.
Cremele said he will schedule a site visit with DOT, himself and town staff in the upcoming weeks to receive more direction.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
