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The state Department of Transportation will explain the improvements that are planned for a three-mile section of the parkway between Highland Avenue in Peekskill and Route 35/202 in Cortlandt. The meetings are set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Neighborhood Center, 4 Nelson Ave., Peekskill, and 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Cortlandt Town Hall, 1 Heady St., Cortlandt. The proposed changes include installing median barriers and adding turning lanes.
“Safety is a top priority for NYSDOT and after hearing community concerns about the Bear Mountain Parkway, we are taking quick action to implement engineering solutions that will help slow traffic down, protect walkers and prevent dangerous crossover accidents so that both motorists and pedestrians can use the highway more safely,” state Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said previously in a press release. “I thank local officials for working with us to identify solutions and I encourage the public to attend the public meetings to ask questions and offer comments about the upcoming improvement project.”
McDonald said the DOT was focused on making “several critical safety improvements” to “reduce the likelihood of crossover crashes on the busy highway,” according to a Transportation Department press release.
Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster previously said she agreed with the effort to make improvements.
“Peekskill very much appreciates the DOT’s efforts to immediately address the safety concerns along the stretch of the Bear Mountain Parkway and the intersections at Carhart Avenue and Highland Avenue,” Foster said in the release. “We realize that budgets are tight for all State agencies and thank Commissioner McDonald for prioritizing these public safety improvements.”
Jennifer Post, DOT spokesperson, said Friday that the meetings were informational but the public was invited to make comments.
“These meetings are being held to provide information to the public about the proposed projects and see if they have any comments on them,” she said. “This is the opportunity for us to get that information to the public and allow them to provide comments.”
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