Seneca Falls Town Councilman Doug Avery told FingerLakes1.com on Thursday that the town’s engineers proposed a plan to get Bayard Street re-opened, after being closed for months.
He says the plan is to open up the road with new restrictions. Those include reducing the road from three-lanes, down to two. Traffic will be able to flow east- and west without a turning lane for those looking to turn left from Bayard Street to the Ovid Street Bridge.
However, Avery says there will be a 6 ton weight limit.
As the news of a plan became clear on Christmas Day – highway officials with the Town were able to clear out equipment owned by the state, which was put in place as a block to close the road.
A culvert under Bayard Street was said to be in such disrepair that road closure was necessary. That was in late-August and early-September. Following the closure, state and local officials battled over ownership of the problem.
While that dispute remains active, and the more significant problem of getting the road re-opened to full-traffic – having it reopened to traffic in both directions is a big step.
“The highway department and the engineers will closely monitor the condition of the roadway and the shoulders and banks looking for any sign of degradation,” Avery added. “While this is a great development for passenger vehicles and Ferrara Lumber, the long-term solution has not yet reached. It should also ease some of the traffic concerns in the neighborhood just to the south. However, large trucks will still have to detour, as will – I believe – fire trucks trying to respond to a call on the north side of the canal.”
He says signs designating the changes are up, and traffic has begun flowing on Bayard Street as of 9 a.m.
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