“A positive step for Orleans County,” that’s how Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller sees $14 million for paving of the Lake Ontario State Parkway included as part of a five-year capital plan by the NYSDOT announced in late July.
DeRoller, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, State Senator Robert Ortt, town and school district leaders in Kendall and members of OONA – the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association – have been pressing the state to make needed repairs to a 12.7 mile section of the Parkway from Hamlin Beach west to Lakeside Beach Park in Carlton.
A 5.5 mile section of the four-lane Parkway has been posted as “Rough Road,” and Assemblyman Hawley has called the condition of the Parkway deplorable.
“This is one of the main arteries of Western New York and a popular scenic byway that has been deteriorating for far too long. The roadway offers residents from around the country access to Lake Ontario, which includes one of the best brown trout fishing spots in the entire country and is a primary tourist destination in my district,” Hawley said when he presented nearly 2,000 petitions signed by local residents to Governor Cuomo’s office this spring, asking the state for support to better repair and maintain the highway.
The Parkway paving planned by the state includes nearly $9 million to pave from Route 19 east to Payne Beach, and $5.2 million for paving from Route 19 west to Route 237 in Kendall. Parkway paving is slated for 2017-18.
Additionally, Orleans County and the Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) are beginning a $55,000 study to determine how to best use the most poorly maintained section of the roadway.
The Lake Ontario State Parkway Transportation Alternatives Feasibility Study will determine if the 12.7 miles should be repurposed, decommissioned or reduced to less than four lanes. It will also determine if a reduced transportation footprint will lead to better road maintenance.
“We will be looking at all the options,” Orleans County Planning and Development Department Director Jim Bensley says. He explains that the Genesee Transportation
Council will select a firm to conduct the feasibility study and then, “things will start happening.”
The study may find that the cost of repurposing the Parkway and closing lanes will be too great, “It may not be feasible to close any lanes,” Bensley observes. The study could take 12 to 15 months, Bensley explains, and the public, “will have a full opportunity to participate.”
Informational hearings will be planned to garner public opinion and participation early in the process, which Bensley describes as being especially useful. Formal public hearings will come just prior to adoption of the study, he says.
During a GTC meeting in May, members of the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association (OONA) voiced their opinions. In a letter presented to the GTC, OONA members stated the poor condition of the roadway means emergency vehicles cannot use it to transport patients, vehicles are being damaged by driving on it, and tourism and local business is negatively affected. OONA stated that the eastbound lanes from the Morton exit to east of Hamlin Beach and a five-mile stretch on the westbound lanes from Hamlin Beach to the Kendall exit are in need of immediate attention.
County Legislator Ken DeRoller, who represents Kendall and Carlton, would like to see the Parkway restored to it’s original condition. He says the Parkway is vitally important to tourism in Orleans County.
Lake Ontario State Parkway sign at the Route 237 on-ramp in Kendall. K. Gabalski photo
Recently the Point Breeze area in the Town of Carlton was chosen as the Ultimate Fishing Town for its recreational water sports and fishing. Orleans County is also part of the Lighthouse Trail, Niagara Wine Trail, and state parks along the lakeshore are located off exits on the Parkway.
“The Parkway is more than getting from point A to point B,” DeRoller says. “It is part of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail with vista views of Lake Ontario … it enhances tourism.”
Looking 20 to 30 years in the future, he observes now may be the only opportunity to save the Parkway. DeRoller says all interested stakeholders must now work to ensure that during the feasibility study, the GTC is provided with all proper facts it needs.
