AURELIUS - The state Department of Transportation will go to work on a dangerous curve near Half Acre Road and Routes 5 and 20 in 2008.
The $500,000 project will improve sight lines and add left-hand turn lanes in both directions leading up to the increasingly busy intersection. DOT officials visited the town for an information and public comment session in January.
“People generally agreed with us that there is a problem at this intersection,” DOT engineer Edward Wilday said.
The corner is home to several businesses, including Reese's Dairy Barn, R.G. Wright Insurance Agency and Cannon Pools. It has also been the site of a number of serious auto accidents.
An 85-year-old Auburn man died from injuries he suffered in a head-on collision near the curve in 2000. In 2004, the state softened another curve on Routes 5 and 20 near the intersection with Blanchard Road where three fatal accidents happened over a span of 15 years.
Crews will rip up the existing road at the Half Acre intersection and lower the height at the curve by about a foot to improve sight distance to reduce the risk.
“We're adding turn lanes at the intersection to essentially get turning vehicles out of the traffic stream,” Wilday said.
In addition to the danger, increasing traffic also helped put the project on the docket.
“Certainly with the development that's going on in the area and the BOCES center that's coming (on nearby West Genesee Street Road), the traffic is only going to increase,” Wilday said.
The two-lane section of Routes 5 and 20 is just west of the Fingerlakes Mall and Fingerlakes Crossing plaza, an area that has experienced explosive commercial growth in recent years.
Traffic would not likely be detoured during the project, but diverted to a single lane throughout the construction season in 2008. A traffic light to replace the blinking light hanging over the intersection is under consideration due on comments made at the January meeting.
“If someone comes in now and has an idea or suggestion, we'd certainly consider it,” Wilday said.
Further comment can be sent to the DOT regional office in Syracuse.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
“People generally agreed with us that there is a problem at this intersection,” DOT engineer Edward Wilday said.
The corner is home to several businesses, including Reese's Dairy Barn, R.G. Wright Insurance Agency and Cannon Pools. It has also been the site of a number of serious auto accidents.
An 85-year-old Auburn man died from injuries he suffered in a head-on collision near the curve in 2000. In 2004, the state softened another curve on Routes 5 and 20 near the intersection with Blanchard Road where three fatal accidents happened over a span of 15 years.
Crews will rip up the existing road at the Half Acre intersection and lower the height at the curve by about a foot to improve sight distance to reduce the risk.
“We're adding turn lanes at the intersection to essentially get turning vehicles out of the traffic stream,” Wilday said.
In addition to the danger, increasing traffic also helped put the project on the docket.
“Certainly with the development that's going on in the area and the BOCES center that's coming (on nearby West Genesee Street Road), the traffic is only going to increase,” Wilday said.
The two-lane section of Routes 5 and 20 is just west of the Fingerlakes Mall and Fingerlakes Crossing plaza, an area that has experienced explosive commercial growth in recent years.
Traffic would not likely be detoured during the project, but diverted to a single lane throughout the construction season in 2008. A traffic light to replace the blinking light hanging over the intersection is under consideration due on comments made at the January meeting.
“If someone comes in now and has an idea or suggestion, we'd certainly consider it,” Wilday said.
Further comment can be sent to the DOT regional office in Syracuse.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
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