Tom Rankin
Well-known member
From the Kingston Freeman:
============================================
By Jay Braman Jr., Correspondent
07/27/2006
BOICEVILLE - The state Department of
Transportation will close a section of state
Route 28 for about a week in August or September
to repair damage from last month's heavy rains, an agency official said.
Barbara Mattice, a regional construction engineer
for the department, said a large culvert under
the road was damaged during the heavy rain that
fell between June 22 and 28. The downpours caused
so much stormwater runoff that the culvert pipe
could not handle the volume, causing portions of
the road to wash away between Dancing Rock Road
and Runge Road, about 1.5 miles west of the Pine View Bakery in Shokan.
Mattice said the culvert is so damaged it needs to be replaced.
The design for the project is under way. A detour
will be necessary, but the route has not been established yet.
"The detour route is in development, " Mattice said.
No matter what the design for the project is,
Mattice said the closure of Route 28 will not go
longer than the one week planned.
It remains unclear precisely what portion of the
well-traveled road will be closed to traffic, and
an exact date for the closure has not been set.
"It will be either at the end of August or the
beginning of September," Mattice said.
Lee Zimmer, a civil engineer for the department,
said on Wednesday that the detour might run from
state Route 375 to Woodstock, where vehicles
could take Route 212 all the way to Route 28 in
Mount Tremper. But Zimmer said it remains unclear if that is the best route.
"I don't want to run all that traffic through Woodstock," he said.
Zimmer said the department still hopes to create
a repair design that does not involve tearing up
the road. He said the culvert is 50 feet below
the road surface and it would take a mammoth
excavation to replace it. Another culvert nearby
that also runs under Route 28 was damaged by the
flooding but can relined with no excavation Zimmer said.
While Zimmer hopes that can be the remedy for the
pipe slated for full replacement, it appears
unlikely. The idea is still under investigation, though.
"We don't really know what we are going to do," he said.
This week, there was concern at Emerson Place in
Mount Tremper about the Route 28 closure because
of rumors of a much longer shutdown. Paul Rakov,
director of public relations for the Emerson
Resort and Spa, is anxious to find out what the
detour will be, because it may route traffic
along old Route 28 and bypass not only the
Emerson complex but many other commercial ventures.
"Clearly, this would be a huge disruption to all
(Route) 28 corridor businesses in Shandaken," Rakov said.
Route 28 currently serves as a detour for traffic
diverted away from state Route 23A in Greene
County, where the same rains caused a
25-by-40-foot section of a stone retaining wall
to collapse, causing that highway to cave in.
Route 23A is expected to be closed from
Palenville to Haines Falls for three months while repairs are made.
In a RELATED traffic matter, the Department of
Transportation has removed a traffic light that
was set up on Route 28 immediately after the
flooding. It was unsafe to drive over the damaged
portion of the culvert, and traffic was
restricted to one lane in each direction until Wednesday.
Sylvia Rozzelle, the Olive town clerk, said on
Wednesday that she had received several
complaints about long delays caused by the light.
Zimmer said the light was removed because the
road had been temporarily stabilized. But he
would not rule out the possibility of the light
being put back up if inspections find new problems.
©Daily Freeman 2006
============================================
By Jay Braman Jr., Correspondent
07/27/2006
BOICEVILLE - The state Department of
Transportation will close a section of state
Route 28 for about a week in August or September
to repair damage from last month's heavy rains, an agency official said.
Barbara Mattice, a regional construction engineer
for the department, said a large culvert under
the road was damaged during the heavy rain that
fell between June 22 and 28. The downpours caused
so much stormwater runoff that the culvert pipe
could not handle the volume, causing portions of
the road to wash away between Dancing Rock Road
and Runge Road, about 1.5 miles west of the Pine View Bakery in Shokan.
Mattice said the culvert is so damaged it needs to be replaced.
The design for the project is under way. A detour
will be necessary, but the route has not been established yet.
"The detour route is in development, " Mattice said.
No matter what the design for the project is,
Mattice said the closure of Route 28 will not go
longer than the one week planned.
It remains unclear precisely what portion of the
well-traveled road will be closed to traffic, and
an exact date for the closure has not been set.
"It will be either at the end of August or the
beginning of September," Mattice said.
Lee Zimmer, a civil engineer for the department,
said on Wednesday that the detour might run from
state Route 375 to Woodstock, where vehicles
could take Route 212 all the way to Route 28 in
Mount Tremper. But Zimmer said it remains unclear if that is the best route.
"I don't want to run all that traffic through Woodstock," he said.
Zimmer said the department still hopes to create
a repair design that does not involve tearing up
the road. He said the culvert is 50 feet below
the road surface and it would take a mammoth
excavation to replace it. Another culvert nearby
that also runs under Route 28 was damaged by the
flooding but can relined with no excavation Zimmer said.
While Zimmer hopes that can be the remedy for the
pipe slated for full replacement, it appears
unlikely. The idea is still under investigation, though.
"We don't really know what we are going to do," he said.
This week, there was concern at Emerson Place in
Mount Tremper about the Route 28 closure because
of rumors of a much longer shutdown. Paul Rakov,
director of public relations for the Emerson
Resort and Spa, is anxious to find out what the
detour will be, because it may route traffic
along old Route 28 and bypass not only the
Emerson complex but many other commercial ventures.
"Clearly, this would be a huge disruption to all
(Route) 28 corridor businesses in Shandaken," Rakov said.
Route 28 currently serves as a detour for traffic
diverted away from state Route 23A in Greene
County, where the same rains caused a
25-by-40-foot section of a stone retaining wall
to collapse, causing that highway to cave in.
Route 23A is expected to be closed from
Palenville to Haines Falls for three months while repairs are made.
In a RELATED traffic matter, the Department of
Transportation has removed a traffic light that
was set up on Route 28 immediately after the
flooding. It was unsafe to drive over the damaged
portion of the culvert, and traffic was
restricted to one lane in each direction until Wednesday.
Sylvia Rozzelle, the Olive town clerk, said on
Wednesday that she had received several
complaints about long delays caused by the light.
Zimmer said the light was removed because the
road had been temporarily stabilized. But he
would not rule out the possibility of the light
being put back up if inspections find new problems.
©Daily Freeman 2006
