Local leaders are praising the January 25 announcement by Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) that work will begin this summer on the resurfacing of the Lake Ontario State Parkway from Route 19 in Hamlin to Payne Beach Road in Parma.
“The Parkway is used extensively by Parma residents on the north side of town,” Parma Supervisor Jim Smith says. “It makes getting to work in the city or to the malls to shop fast and convenient. In the past, it has been a great way to get to Hamlin Beach and beyond for a scenic trip to Niagara Falls. I think it is great that they are planning on making repairs and paving it. Hats off to Assemblyman Hawley for keeping after this project.”
Hamlin Supervisor Eric Peters says the news is fantastic for his community. “I am very, very pleased… they are finally taking care of the Parkway and maintaining it.” Peters notes that Assemblyman Hawley and State Senator Joseph Robach (R,C,IP, 56th Senate District) have been working on the issue for some time.
Both Supervisor Smith and Supervisor Peters say it is important that resurfacing continue along the Parkway to the west.
“The western section is in such bad shape it is almost not safe to drive on,” Supervisor Smith says.
Supervisor Peters calls the paving “a double-edged sword,” explaining that it is wonderful to have the paving planned going east, but that it is also badly needed going west.
The western section connects Hamlin Beach State Park and Lakeside Beach State Park 15 miles to the west, he observes. Peters calls the parks, “Two jewels, but you can’t get from one to the other without jarring your eye-teeth loose.”
Peters says he has been working with Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller of Kendall to try to get the paving extended to the west. “Every little bit helps,” Supervisor Peters says, “it takes both sides of the coin to make the whole thing work.”
According to Assemblyman Hawley, repairs will include asphalt repairs to certain areas of the Parkway, milling and heat scarifying to the existing surface, wrong way highway signs at intersections, and new pavement markings and rumble strips.
“Local officials and I have been drawing attention to the Parkway’s terrible road conditions for years and I am thrilled they are finally coming to fruition,” Hawley said in a news release. “With more and more funding being pumped into downstate infrastructure projects, it is important to remember the beating our roads and highways take from intense winters and cold weather.”
In the summer of 2016, the state announced that the Parkway will be paved from Hamlin west to Route 237 in Kendall in 2018, but local leaders and members of the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association have said that still does not address the “horrific conditions” of the Parkway west of Route 237 to Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton.
Kendall Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata has said first responders from his community can no longer take the Parkway when transporting patients, meaning longer times to reach hospitals on the west side of Rochester.
“Our main criteria is safety,” Supervisor Cammarata said of the need for Parkway repairs.
In addition to plans for paving, the Lake Ontario State Parkway also received attention last year being named to the 2016 list of the Landmark Society of Western New York’s Five to Revive.
