The intersection of U.S. Route 20 and NY Route 60 in Fredonia, NY (Image from Google Maps)

FREDONIA – The New York State Department of Transportation has announced that the Design Report/State Environment Quality Review Act Environmental Assessment for the US Route 20 and NY Route 60 intersection improvement project in Fredonia is now available for public review and comment.

DOT officials say the purpose of the project is to address the high number of accidents involving left-turns at the commercial driveways at the approaches to the intersection.  The project proposes the installation of a raised median barrier on the approaches, and construction of a roundabout at the currently signalized intersection of Routes 20 and 60 to reduce the number of accidents.

This project previously received design approval in March of 2017 but the design approval was rescinded due to public comments.  As a result, an Environmental Assessment was prepared with further study.

The Environmental Assessment report is now being made available to the public for a two-week review and comment period.  One copy of the report is available at each of the following three locations from January 29 to February 12, 2018:

• Town Hall of Pomfret, 9 Day Street, Fredonia, NY 14063
• Village Hall of Fredonia, 9 Church Street, Fredonia, NY 14063
• Darwin R Barker Library, 7 Day Street, Fredonia, NY 14063

The document can also be viewed electronically at:

https://www.dot.ny.gov/regional-offices/region5/other-topics

NYSDOT expects project design approval by March of 2018, and construction to begin in summer of 2018.

Written comments on the project should be sent to the New York State Department of Transportation, 100 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 with attention to assistant regional design engineer Sanjay Singh.

The intersection of U.S. Route 20 and NY Route 60 in Fredonia, NY (Image from Google Maps)

FREDONIA – The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has rescinded all approvals for the proposed roundabout project at the U.S. Route 20 and NY Route 60 intersection in Fredonia.

The decision by DOT comes in the wake of a lawsuit filed in the State Supreme Court by the local McDonald’s restaurant franchise operator, who challenged the determination that the roundabout project was not subject to an environmental impact review.

The DOT had received design approval for the approximately $3.3 million project which was in the detailed design phase with ambitions for putting it out to bid by late fall, and construction to begin in the spring.

All that has been put on hold for the indefinite future.

The intersection of U.S. Route 20 and NY Route 60 in Fredonia, NY (Image from Google Maps)

FREDONIA – A large roundabout willbe coming to one of the busiest intersections in Chautauqua County in 2017.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will host a public information meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. to discuss the proposed intersection improvements at the intersection of U.S. Route 20 and N.Y. Route 60, in Fredonia.

The public meeting will be held in the Trustees’ Room at the Fredonia Village Hall, located at 9 Church Street, in the village of Fredonia.

The meeting will be an open forum format, whereby individuals can arrive at any time from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to discuss the proposed project and the tentative schedule.  Department of Transportation representatives will be available to receive comments and answer individual questions.  A formal presentation will be given at 6 p.m.

The purpose of the safety improvement project is to replace the existing signalized intersection at Routes 20 and 60 with a roundabout. DOT Officials also want to install raised median barrier on the approaches to the intersection that currently have multiple driveways.  Other improvements include improved pedestrian facilities and drainage.

The project is currently scheduled to be out for bid in fall 2017.

For further information about the project or questions about the public meeting, call (716) 847-3230.

The intersection of NY Route 60 and U.S. Route 20 in Fredonia, NY (image from Google Maps)

FREDONIA – One of the busiest intersections in Chautauqua County will be getting an upgrade, thanks to recently announced funding from Albany.

Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced that a total of $75.6 million will be split among 33 projects across the state, thanks to funding from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program.

In Chautauqua County, $720,000 will be used to upgrade the intersection if U.S. Route 20 and State Route 60 in Fredonia. The intersection will be reconstructed to improve safety and traffic flow. New lighting and sidewalks also will be installed.

Projects for this highway safety funding are selected through a competitive process designed to support initiatives that have the greatest ability to reduce traffic fatalities and severe injuries.

Federal funding was made available to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), which administers the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Information on the Highway Safety Improvement program is available on the NYSDOT web site at https://www.dot.ny.gov/safety.