It's been talked about for years, but New York State Department of Transportation officials said they will begin studies to extend Route 531 further into western Monroe County. Richard Black, who lives on Shumway Road, said there's been talk about extending 531 for close to 30 years. "Extending 531 is important to the area," he said. "What concerns us is that we're all in limbo because we don't know what the alternatives are yet. There's too much uncertainty and ambiguity." He was among those who attended a March 8 meeting on the topic of Route 531's extension. Black said the project has been in the talking stages for years and as a homeowner it makes it impossible to plan. "You don't know if you should sell your home or make improvements to it because we don't know what the state's plans are for the extension," he said. Close to 100 people attended the meeting at Brockport's Hill School to listen to a short presentation by DOT officials. A timeline offered at the public information meeting showed the project began in February 2000 with a "major investment study" being completed. As of the recent meeting, the timeline showed the DOT was "beginning data collection and analysis for preliminary engineering and environmental investigations," and by summer 2008 a final evaluation was anticipated that included an "alternative for future project and a final environmental impact statement" being prepared. The study completed in 2000 focused on the role transportation facilities played in economic development west of Spencerport and investigated all modes of transportation. The study concluded with a recommendation for an extension of Route 531 to a point west of Redman Road. Residents were cautioned that the final outcome of extending Route 531 could be quite different from the original intent depending on project complexity and environmental impacts. Joan Dupont, regional planning manager from the DOT said, "The natural tendency with a project like this is to want to draw a line on a map and say 'this is where we're going' but we aren't at that point yet. We have to gather basic data before that line can be drawn." Following the brief presentation, residents were urged to study the maps tacked to the walls and displayed on tables, formulate questions and speak to the many DOT representatives who were on hand. Officials also urged those present to complete and submit the surveys that were included in the handouts. Virginia Campbell of Clarendon attended the meeting in part for her job at SUNY Brockport but also to hear the outcomes. "It's a necessity," she said of the extension. "During peak travel hours, traffic backs up on Washington Street and continues down through Brockport. An extension would open up the county." DOT officials urged residents to visit the Region 4 DOT website at www.dot.state.ny.us for updates on the project and notices of upcoming meetings. |
