SCHUMER CALLS ON FEDS, STATE TO MAKE HIGH-TECH TRAFFIC SIGNAL UPGRADES ON RTE. 17 WOODBURY COMMON EXIT TO HELP ALLEVIATE TRAFFIC – NEW SIGNALS WILL HELP COMMUNITY AS IT WAITS FOR CONSTRUCTION ON NEW EXIT PROJECT, ON HOLD UNTIL 2017
As Southern Orange County Community Waits for Delayed Construction Project on Woodbury Common Exit to Begin, Schumer Will Fight to Get Federal Highway Administration and NYS DOT to Help Woodbury Upgrade Traffic Signals to Ease Congestion in the Interim
Schumer Pushes for Traffic Signals with Adaptive Control Technology, Which Adjusts Distribution of Green-Yellow-Red Lights in Response to Changing Traffic Flows, Rather than Pre-Timed Lights
Schumer: With Mind-Blowing Traffic Jams – And A Recent Tragic Fatality – This New High-Tech Signal Is Critical Step to Easing Traffic Congestion and Enhancing Safety
This week, at Central Valley Elementary School on Rte. 32, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to work with NYS DOT and local Orange County officials to develop a plan to upgrade traffic signals at the Woodbury Common Rte. 17 exit through an adaptive traffic control technology. In contrast to standard traffic signals which have pre-programmed timing plans, adaptive traffic control technology allows traffic signals to adjust the timing to respond to the current traffic patterns thereby helping to ease congestions during all times of the day, but most importantly during peak hours. Schumer explained that this technology is a relatively cheap investment that could go a long way towards alleviating traffic on Rte. 17, particularly given that the exit renovation project is delayed until 2017. The traffic along Rtes. 32 and 17 at the Exit 131 interchange has been a major problem for the past few decades, causing gridlock and congestion in Monroe, Blooming Grove, Harriman, Chester and other local communities. Schumer also underscored that this new traffic signal technology will not only lessen travel times by 10 percent or more according to the FHWA, but increase public safety in the process.
“Woodbury Common is like a healthy heart that is surrounded by clogged arteries. While we work to make more significant fixes to the roadways and exits, there is a cheap and easy investment we can make to unclog some of the congestion, improve public safety, and get traffic and commerce flowing again,” said Schumer. “Adaptive control traffic signals adjust their lights based on real-time traffic data—this simple technological upgrade could do wonders for the Rte. 17 and Rte. 32 logjam. Everyone has had the experience of being stuck at a red light on a major road, while no one is even driving on the road that has a green light. Adaptive traffic signals would fix this problem, give longer green lights on busier roads, and get people to and from the major shopping center at Woodbury Common much quicker. I am recommending that the Federal Highway Administration, which has endorsed adaptive signal control, to partner with the NYS Dept. of Transportation to install this new technology in southern Orange County.”
Over the past few years, several studies have shown that the Monroe, Harriman, Central Valley area has experienced tremendous commercial and residential growth, including several expansions of the Woodbury Common property that has generated a significant increase in traffic on Route 32 leading into the retail center. According to a recent study by the NYS DOT of Orange County traffic, the most intense development in Orange County in recent years has been concentrated in the southeastern portion of the county, particularly near the New York State Thruway and Route 17. In addition, there has been a significant increase in residential subdivision and commercial development in Woodbury and surrounding towns, and those areas have experienced the impacts of increased traffic as a result of growth.
A population burst in this region has also resulted in a substantial boom in commercial development along the Route 17 corridor, and Woodbury Common is a regional retail center that has served as an anchor for other new retail construction around Routes 32 and 17. The New York State Thruway is the primary north-south highway in the area, and travel to and from the area has increased significantly in recent years, both in volume and in average distance. On the weekends, traffic volumes hit significant peaks along SR 17/32 near the Thruway interchange, thanks to traffic associated with shopping at Woodbury Common and its poorly constructed exit.
Because of this congestion, the speed of commerce in the region is slowed, employees who work at the shops on Woodbury Common have to park further and further away and must take public transit into work, and public safety has suffered. Just a few weeks ago, there was a tragic incident in which a young Washingtonville resident who worked at Woodbury Common was run over and killed on Rte. 32 on his way into work in the morning. He had parked in a nearby school parking lot to avoid the trek caused by the employee parking lot, which is even further away from Woodbury Common. The high-volume of vehicles traveling into the area on a daily basis has caused significant parking shortages and forces employees and shoppers alike to walk across busy intersections and highways to reach their destination. According to the FHWA, studies indicate that crashes could be reduced by up to 15 percent through improved signal timing by reducing the intersection congestion that causes many crashes.
Schumer is therefore asking the FHWA to work with the NYS Dept. of Transportation to install new technology along Routes 17 and 32, called “adaptive signal control” technology (ASCT). Schumer explained that the FHWA can provide technical support to set up the new technology, and the implementation and operating costs for ASCT is eligible for Federal reimbursement from National Highway System and Surface Transportation Program funding, which is available to New York. Schumer said that he would pursue potential federal pots of funding for this project, like the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, if deemed eligible. Schumer said the funding could also come from the state or even local budgets since it’s a relatively cheap measure. The cost of adaptive signal control technology typically ranges between $6,000-$50,000 per intersection depending on the current infrastructure, communications and detection requirements of the selected system.
Schumer detailed how the new traffic signal technology will use real-time traffic data to optimize the timing of traffic lights to unclog congestion, thus speeding the commute to Woodbury Common and improving public safety in the process. Adaptive signal control technology adjusts the timing of red, yellow and green signal indications to accommodate changing traffic patterns and ease traffic congestion. The main benefits of adaptive signal control technology over conventional signal systems are that it can:
- Continuously distribute green light time equitably for all traffic movements.
- Improve travel time reliability by progressively moving vehicles through green lights.
- Reduce congestion by creating smoother flow.
- Prolong the effectiveness of traffic signal timing.
Under adaptive signal control, traffic sensors collect data in real-time, that data is analyzed to find improvements that can be made to the signal timing, and then those changes are implemented. This process is repeated every few minutes. According to the FHWA, on average, adaptive signal control technology improves travel time by more than 10 percent. In areas with particularly outdated signal timing, improvements can be 50 percent or more. Schumer explained that any decrease in congestion saves travelers on fuel costs and increases the productivity of major retail centers like Woodbury.
A copy of Senator Schumer’s letter to the Federal Highway Administration appears below:
I write to urge you to consider traffic and construction improvements to Route 17/NYS Route 32 – Exit 131 interchange on Interstate 86/NYS Route 17. As you may know, this highway improvement was planned to mitigate the profound traffic problems in Southern Orange County which have plagued local communities for over 20 years. In addition to various vehicular accidents, including the loss of life, major traffic and daily gridlock burden residents and commuters for several hours, every day. This gridlock is a regional concern to the municipalities of Monroe, Blooming Grove, Harriman and Chester, among others. Severe traffic flow problems and public safety have become major concerns as emergency services providers have experienced profound delays in responding to critical incidents throughout Southern Orange County.
I have supported making these critical traffic improvements a priority, however, this project has again been delayed and is not due to see improvements until 2017. In light of continued delays, I am requesting your agency work with local municipalities and The New York State Department of Transportation to upgrade and improve traffic signals along State Route 32 to mitigate these dangerous traffic conditions. The current traffic signals only add to the long list of traffic problems and therefore I am requesting new with adaptive control technology be installed to reduce the congestion and delays while improving the safety of the motoring public and reduce the burden on the residents, communities and local businesses. The need for adaptive traffic signal system is immediate, especially considering the Exit 131 construction is not set to be continued until 2017. Such a traffic signal system would greatly help make transportation flow more smoothly in the community over these next three years, while it waits for the much delayed improvements.
Local traffic experts and consultants have concluded that traffic signals, upgraded with the adaptive signal timing system is a feasible and a highly effective improvement which would go a long way in easing the traffic burden. In light of this, I am requesting your help in working with these municipalities to fund and implement this adaptive technology, which would improve the efficiency of traffic flow, reduce congestion and improve safety, thereby greatly helping Southern Orange County.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
U.S. Senator