QuestionsRight-of-Way & Maintenance
Q1. How was the highway boundary determined? Q2. Is the highway boundary the same for each land owner? Q3. Is the highway right-of-way owned by the town or village? Q4. Who maintains Henry W. Dubois Drive? Proposed Project (Updated) Q1: What are the project limits? Q2: What are the project alternatives being considered? Q3. Will the project acquire land from the adjacent property owners? Q4. Will the project require tree removal and removal of other vegetation? Q5. Will the Project be constructed in phases or all at one time? Q6. Who will maintain the new improvements? Q7. How is the project being funded and how much funding is available? Q8. What are the plans to address drainage through the corridor? Q9. How will the speed differential between bikes and pedestrians be handled with the shared use path alternative? Q10. How is traffic and truck traffic being addressed/evaluated? Q11. Are the traffic volumes accurate given the pandemic and new developments occurring? Q12. Is raising the speed limit to 35 miles per hour proposed? Q13. Why wasn’t proposed traffic calming included in the design report and drawings? Process and Coordination (Updated) Q1. Who will decide which alternative is selected as the preferred alternative? Q2. Who is on the Steering Committee? Q3. How is the project team coordinating with stakeholders, residents, and interested agencies? Q4. What role does each agency play in the project process? Q5. Will there be other opportunities to comment on the project? |
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Q1. How was the highway boundary determined? A1. All of the deeds for each parcel along Henry W. Dubois Drive were reviewed by a licensed land surveyor. The HWD highway boundary was determined from the legal description in each deed. The highway boundary of Henry W. DuBois Drive, a portion of which was originally known as Fulton Road or Fulton Street, was retraced and recreated using the descriptions contained in the deeds, and the bearings and distances recorded on the filed maps originally creating the roadway. The side lines for each individual parcel adjoining the road bounds were drafted utilizing a combination of physical evidence located during the field survey, deeds, filed maps and previous survey maps. Those lines are approximate and subject to a full boundary survey of each individual parcel. Q2. Is the highway boundary the same for each land owner? A2. Based on the research of deeds, filed maps, and physical evidence found in the field, it has been determined that the width of Henry W. DuBois Drive is a minimum of fifty feet in all locations and there are no conflicts with the original deeds of conveyance to any parcel of land abutting the roadway. As the highway bounds of Henry W. DuBois Drive were created by deeds and filed maps, and the roadway was often constructed after the conveyance of the land, it was not necessarily constructed in the center of the right of way. As a result, the distance between the road pavement edges, and/or the distance between the center of the road, and the highway boundary varies along the corridor. Q3. Is the highway right-of-way owned by the town or village? A3. The jurisdictional line between the Town and Village is along Henry W. Dubois Drive and even crosses the roadway.
Q4. Who maintains Henry W. Dubois Drive? A4. The Town of New Paltz maintains the roadway while the Village owns and maintains the water and sewer lines. The Q1. What are the project limits? A1. The project limits are from NY Route 32 (N. Chestnut St.) to N. Putt Corners Rd. (County Route 17). No work is proposed outside of the Henry W. Dubois corridor, as the project funding and associated scope of this project only covers the Henry W. Dubois Drive corridor. Q2. What are the project alternatives being considered? A2. There are two alternatives under evaluation:
Q3. Will the project acquire land from the adjacent property owners? A3. It is not the intention to acquire land from adjacent property owners. However, there may be cases where land may be needed for the construction of the preferred alternative. Q4. Will the project require tree removal and removal of other vegetation? A4. There will be locations where trees and shrubs may require removal or pruning due to the proximity to the roadway or other features. Detailed evaluations of these locations will be conducted once a preferred alternative has been selected. Any vegetation disturbed will be identified on the plans and coordinated with the adjacent landowners once determined. Q5. Will the Project be constructed in phases or all at one time? A5. The project is projected to be constructed staring in the fall of 2021. The majority of construction will occur during spring/summer 2022 and be complete by December 2022. A detailed schedule is on the Timeline page. Q6. Who will maintain the new improvements? A6.
Q7. How is the project being funded and how much funding is available? A7. The project is being funded through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) which has an 80% share paid by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and a 20% share paid by the Town of New Paltz. The project has been allocated $2.742M for design, right-of-way, construction, and construction inspection. The Town of New Paltz is also receiving a grant through The Climate Smart Communities Grant Program for the design and implementation of green infrastructure treatments. The project was allocated $475,700 from the State of New York. New Questions and Answers Below (updated 10/27/2020) Q8. What are the plans to address drainage through the corridor? A8. All drainage structures to remain in place will be cleaned as needed. The remaining structures and associated pipes that are in conflict with the proposed design will be removed and replaced in a new location with new structures and pipes. Where existing drainage does not exist today, we will evaluate the drainage capacity and determine the appropriate solution based on the evaluation. The solution could consist of new drainage structures, pipes, or grass swales, depending on the location. The details of the drainage system will occur during detailed design. Q9. How will the speed differential between bikes and pedestrians be handled with the shared use path alternative? A9. There are a few options available to handle the various active transportation modes of travel. The details of how speed differentials and other concerns about bicyclists and pedestrians mingling will be addressed during detailed design. A few options available are as follows:
Q10. How is traffic and truck traffic being addressed/evaluated? A10. As per the Village Code, trucks in excess of 2.5 Tons are excluded from using Henry W. Dubois from NY Route 32 (North Chestnut St.) to Colonial Drive. The Town is also looking into the possibility of enacting a truck ordinance similar to the Village's for HWD from Colonial Drive to N. Putt Corner Rd. so there is uniformity along the entire length of the roadway. Exclusive of these regulations, increased enforcement through police presence and implementing traffic calming measures will help deter traffic. The introduction of traffic calming treatments will make it uncomfortable for motorists, but will not prevent vehicles from traveling along Henry W. Dubois. The traffic calming treatments will be further evaluated during detailed design once a preferred alternative has been selected. New Questions and Answers Below (updated 12/8/2020) Q11. Are the traffic volumes accurate given the pandemic and new developments occurring? A11. Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) volumes were accessed from the NYSDOT website in March 2020. The data itself was collected by NYSDOT in 2017. To be conservative, a 1% growth rate was applied to estimate the average annual daily traffic volumes in 2020. This growth rate is slightly higher than what has been seen on other roadways in the area. The traffic volumes at the intersection of NY Route 32 at Henry W. Dubois Drive were obtained from the approved Stewart’s Shop Corp. Traffic Impact Study (TIS), submitted on January 3, 2019, and takes into account the traffic expected to be generated by current and proposed developments, such as the Zero Place Development. The volumes at the intersection of North Putt Corners Road at Henry W. Dubois were obtained from the currently unapproved Trans-Hudson Development Corp. (CVS Pharmacy and Five Guys Restaurant) Traffic Impact Study, submitted on February 13, 2015. To be conservative, a 1% growth rate was applied to these volumes to estimate the intersection turning movement volumes in 2020. This growth rate is slightly higher than what has been seen on other roadways in the area. Q12. Is raising the speed limit to 35 miles per hour proposed? A12. No. The reference to 35 mph in the design report is the category referenced for design criteria. The project cannot set a new speed limit. A post-construction speed study has been recommended to the Town and Village to determine if the speed limit could be reduced below 30 mph once all traffic calming elements are in place. Until then, the posted speed limits along Henry W. Dubois will remain. Q13. Why wasn’t proposed traffic calming included in the design report and drawings? A13. The location and type of traffic calming is somewhat dependent on the preferred alternative selected. Since the primary purpose of the design report is to select this preferred alternative, detailed recommendations were not made at this time. It is every intention to include traffic calming wherever practical to address the numerous comments received and our own observations. Q1. Who will decide which alternative is selected as the preferred alternative? A1. The decision will be made in coordination with the Town of New Paltz, the Steering Committee, and in consideration of feedback received by stakeholders, residents, the NYS Department of Transportation, and the Village of New Paltz. The preferred alternative will based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to
Q2. Who is on the Steering Committee? A2.
Q3. How is the project team coordinating with stakeholders, residents, and interested agencies? A3.
Q4. What role does each agency play in the project process? A4. The Town of New Paltz is the Project Sponsor. They are responsible for the day to day coordination of the project. They are responsible for submitting the bills from the consultant to the NYS Department of Transportation for reimbursement by the Federal Highway Administration. Further, they are responsible for the design and implementation of the project plan. The NYS Department of Transportation is the local project liaison. They are responsible for ensuring the delivery of projects that receive any federal aid. NYSDOT must also ensure that these projects receive adequate supervision and inspection and certify projects are completed in conformance with approved plans and specifications. Additionally, they coordinate with the Federal Highway Administration and other agencies for authorization to proceed to the next design phases of a project. The Federal Highway Administration is responsible for providing the funding and authorization of design phases. They rely on the Department of Transportation to ensure forward movement of the project, appropriate use of funds, and adherence to design standards. New Questions and Answers Below (updated 12/8/2020) Q5. Will there be other opportunities to comment on the project? A5. Yes! Based on comments received by state agencies and the public, the project team will revise the design report, select a preferred alternative, and issue a final design report. This will trigger “design approval” by NYSDOT, allowing us to begin detailed design. Detailed design will be a 6 to 9 month process where our team will address many of the concerns raised, such as drainage, separation treatments, and traffic calming. We will continue to coordinate with stakeholders and residents throughout this process, including receiving and reviewing all comments that are received through the project website. |