Category: Traffic

Sidewalk Road Work 400 Block of Spencer Road

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Update (May 6th): They have decided to allow left turns from Stone Quarry onto Spencer Road during this time.  The barriers around the sidewalk work will be moved daily. When the barriers are out, there will be flaggers. When the barriers are in, there will not be flaggers, as motorists ought to be able to use the intersection as usual.

Previously:

Here is the information received from INHS about the implementation of sidewalks along their property at 400-406 Spencer Road, and the subsequent changes to traffic patterns on the street during the sidewalk construction.  (Please note: this will affect the 400 Block of Spencer Road and the Spencer Road/Stone Quarry Road intersection).

Construction of the new sidewalk and curbing will begin May 4th. In order to complete this work a section of Spencer Road will need to be reduced to one lane during daytime working hours Monday May 4th through Friday May 15th from 7:30am to 4:00pm. When work is complete for the day two-way traffic will be restored. In addition, left turns from Stone Quarry Road onto Spencer Road will not be allowed at any time from May 4th through the 15th due to the construction barriers required to keep workers safe. Below is a diagram that shows where the work will occur. The yellow flags represent flagging stations where flaggers will be directing traffic. The thick red line represents a concrete barrier which will not be moved each day but will allow two lanes of traffic to pass. The red dotted line represents moveable barriers which will reduce traffic to one lane during work hours and then moved to allow two lanes of traffic when work is finished for the night. Temporary signage will be installed to inform drivers of these changes to traffic patterns. This work and disruption to traffic will be complete by May 15th. If there is a change to this timing INHS will notify. This plan has been reviewed with the City of Ithaca Traffic Engineer. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Joe Bowes at INHS at 607-277-4500×204.

Spencer Road Sidewalk Work Diagram Source: Memo from INHS: Temporary Changes to Traffic Patterns (pdf).  Contains larger-size diagram shown above.

Clarification: The 400 block of Spencer Road will NOT be a one way road during those hours.  It will be one lane with cars only able to go in one direction at a time.  Flaggers will be at each end of the block coordinating traffic.

Spencer Road Neighborhood Traffic Study and Meeting

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The City – through a neighborhood meeting and mailed questionnaire – will be receiving comments to better understand the needs and priorities of the Spencer Road/Stone Quarry Road neighborhood.

The public outreach meeting is scheduled on Thursday, March 5th, 2015 at 6:00pm, at the Oasis Fellowship Church at 808 South Meadow Street Extension. All are welcome to attend and meet the project team in person. After the results from the questionnaire and the public meeting are compiled, the consultants will prepare alternatives to consider and propose to the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works. The Board will select an alternative to progress to final design.

If you did not received a questionnaire from the City contractor, you can download/print a PDF of the questionnaire by clicking here.

Please send your completed questionnaire to Tim Logue (tlogue@cityofithaca.org) at 108 E. Green Street, Ithaca, NY 14850, no later than March 6th, 2015.

Spencer Road Traffic Study and Ways of Giving Feedback

Emily N.2 Comments

Per Tim Logue, the City’s Transportation Engineer, here is an update on the Spencer Road/Stone Quarry Intersection ​Study:

The consultant LaBella Engineering has been retained and an initial meeting with transportation staff has already been conducted. LaBella’s first step will be to review and examine the area survey provided by INHS and determine if additional information needs to be acquired. City transportation staff will develop a residential survey, asking residents for their thoughts, suggestions, concerns, that they would like taken into consideration with regards to the proposed redesign. This survey should be available for public input around mid-January. Shortly thereafter, there will be a kickoff meeting with neighborhood residents that will allow for staff and residents to meet to discuss the survey, and community suggestions and to provide staff with a better understanding of resident’s concerns.

The resident survey and the public meeting are meant to serve the same purpose: outreach to the neighborhood to hear concerns before any design work is started. City transportation staff wanted to make sure there was another way to hear from people besides attending the meeting, although people can do both if they want.

Based on the meeting and survey, LaBella will develop 3 design alternatives for review, on or about late winter 2015.

These alternatives will be presented to the neighborhood for review and comment, and then go to the BPW for additional opportunity for public review and comment, and selection.

Tim is happy to receive your comments, suggestions, and considerations throughout this process and he can be reached by email at tlogue@cityofithaca.org.

UPDATE: According to Tim Logue, this has been delayed.  He expects the survey will come out early February and the public meeting will now likely be later in February or early March.

Neighborhood Traffic Meeting: Oct 21st at 7pm

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There will be a neighborhood conversation about traffic concerns in the Spencer Road area.  The goal is to gather, and then provide, neighborhood feedback to the City to take into consideration with the traffic study they are conducting and in advance of any road work or “improvement” that is completed on our streets.  It is important that safety, both vehicular and pedestrian, is taken into account, as well as existing neighborhood concerns.

This is only a conversation with neighbors and it is not with any City officials.  The goal is to get a neighborhood consensus on what we want to communicate to the City so that information can be passed along.

The meeting will be Tuesday, October 21st, at the TC Action Building (701 Spencer Road) at 7pm.  Residents of Spencer Road, South Meadow St Ext, Morris Heights Rd, and the bottom of Stone Quarry Road are all welcome to attend.

If you will not be able to make the meeting, but would like your feedback taken into account, please e-mail SpencerRoadIthaca@gmail.com or call your neighbor Jean at 277-2978.

Save the Date: Neighborhood Traffic Meeting Oct 21st at 7pm

Emily N.Leave a comment

Please save the date: October 21st at 7pm there will be a community review of the traffic concerns in the Spencer Road area. We will put together community feedback for a recommendation to the City.  Residents of Spencer Road, South Meadow St Ext, Morris Heights Rd, and the bottom of Stone Quarry Road are welcome to attend.

The meeting will be held at the TCAction Building at 701 Spencer Road.

More details to follow soon.

If you will not be able to attend the meeting, but would like your feedback included, please e-mail: SpencerRoadIthaca@gmail.com.