Is Delaware Ave Elsmere’s Main Street or a high-speed commuter corridor?
  • A core issue explored during the study process was whether our community’s priority for this section of Delaware Avenue was to (a) move traffic as quickly as possible between Albany and Bethlehem, especially during peak commuting hours, or (b) provide a safe local travel corridor between neighborhoods and local businesses.  In other words, is this portion of Delaware Ave a commuter corridor (like the bypass) or part of our neighborhoods (like the rest of Delaware Ave east and west of the 4-lane, 40 mph corridor)?
  • The majority feeling at public forums and on the Town Board in 2017 was that the priority should be allowing people to move safely between their neighborhoods and local businesses, even if this imposed some delay for commuters traveling out of or into town.  The study by Creighton Manning engineers projected that changing from 4 lanes to 2 lanes with a center turn lane would add an average increase of 50 seconds to travel through the corridor, but only during the morning and evening peak travel times:
    • 15 seconds due to lowering the speed limit from 40 mph to 35 mph, and
    • 35 seconds due to longer waits at the Elsmere Avenue and Delaware Plaza traffic signals.

Show All Answers

1. What will the complete streets project do?
2. Is it reasonable to slow down commuters just for cyclists?
3. Why not just lower the speed limit?
4. Isn’t this a bad time for a major road project?
5. Is Delaware Ave Elsmere’s Main Street or a high-speed commuter corridor?
6. Are there any places where I can see a “complete street”?
7. How have residents and businesses been involved with and informed about this project?