The Route 9W Mobility Plan is Open for Comment

October 7, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ulster County Transportation Council, in coordination with the Town of Ulster and New York State Department of Transportation, is pleased to announce the draft recommendations of the Route 9W Mobility Plan are now available for public review.

The Plan seeks to better understand travel conditions in and around the 9W corridor between Van Kleeck Lane and Leggs Mills Road and develop appropriate strategies to improve them. To accomplish this, the UCTC worked with a local project advisory committee to examine how the corridor functions in terms of safety and mobility for all users. The plan considers traffic safety, peak hour traffic congestion, and multi-modal connectivity in the corridor while recognizing how future development may impact travel.

The study area is one of Ulster County’s largest commercial retail centers. The corridor generates significant travel demand which much be accommodated by the existing roadway network. Safety analysis conducted as part of the effort indicated that some road segments and intersections experience above-average crash rates.  The existing infrastructure also does not consider multi-modal needs, with sidewalks and crosswalks absent at many key locations along the corridor. The study considers pending redevelopment at IPark87 as well as fluctuations from a changing retail environment that have the potential to significantly change traffic conditions in the years ahead.

UCTC wants to hear from you – a website with a survey tool and questionnaire have been prepared to allow the public to provide detailed input regarding the draft recommendations for the corridor.

Visit  https://ulster-route9w-uctc-ulstercounty.hub.arcgis.com/ to participate.

Please take this opportunity to share your thoughts on the plan’s concepts.  Detailed presentations that summarize the recommendations are provided that will allow citizens to “join at their own pace” and learn more about the issues and opportunities in the Route 9W corridor.

The survey will be open through the month of October 2024.  The project goal is to provide prioritized, short term steps that can immediately improve the safety and function of the corridor at a relatively low cost, as well as an aspirational and transformative long range plan that will allow state and local agencies to seek funding for future improvements.