In 2018, the towns of Marlborough and Lloyd commissioned a lengthy and comprehensive Route 9W Corridor Management Plan. This document outlines dozens of recommendations to improve travel conditions on Route 9W.
Since 9W is a state road, the primary responsible agency for all these recommended changes is the New York State Department of Transportation, with the Town of Marlborough listed as the secondary responsible agency.
Some of these direly needed, yet still incomplete recommendations include but are by no means limited to:
- School Zone with signage and reduced speed limit within quarter-mile of Marlboro Elementary and Middle Schools.
- Reduced speed limit from 55mph to 45mph from Riverview Drive to Milton Turnpike.
- Lane reconfiguration from four lanes to two lanes with left turning lanes at some of Marlboro and Milton’s most notoriously dangerous sections of 9W: Willow Tree Road intersection, Old Indian Road intersection, and throughout Milton industrial park from Perkinsville Road to Milton Turnpike
Seven years later, the vast majority of these recommendations have yet to materialize. Why? Why are we still waiting? What can we do to get the state to help us make these changes?
You’ll hear lots of excuses, speculation, and downright apathy:
“The state is broke.”
“The DOT says there haven’t been enough deaths at that intersection to necessitate a change.”
“It would slow the flow of traffic if we lowered the speed limit.”
“Good luck. It’ll never happen.”
Whatever the reason, we are tired of waiting. As a community, we demand that New York State stop ignoring our thoroughly researched, evidence-supported recommendations for critical safety upgrades to Route 9W in the Town of Marlborough. Our lives, and the lives of our family members, literally depend on it.
ONGOING EFFORTS
Our town officials have not given up on us since the creation of the 2018 Corridor Management Plan.
Marlborough Town Supervisor Scott Corcoran sent this correspondence to Danielle Rispoli from the New York State DOT on May 22, 2023, just a week after Kaylyn Touhey tragically lost her life on Route 9W in Milton:
Danielle,
I appreciate you taking my call today to discuss the possibility of reducing the speed limit along 9w in the Town of Marlborough. I’m asking if we can implement one or two of the recommendations in the Route 9W Corridor Management Plan completed in October of 2018 that DOT participated in. In the plan it was recommended that the section of 9w between Milton Turnpike and Perkinsville road be lowered from 55 mph to 40 mph. This has not happened and we continue to see many accidents in this area. Unfortunately on May 16th we had a fatality from a vehicle accident from a vehicle turning off of 9w onto New Road. Although we can not change what happened on that day, maybe we can prevent a future fatality. I believe if we can reduce the speed limit and possibly widening the shoulders it will make a big difference in that area along 9w. Widening the shoulders was also a recommendation from the 2018 plan. I have attached Recommendation 4 and 6 from the 9w corridor plan as well as the link to the full study.
Per your request here are the people I would like to have at our meeting with you and Lisa Mondello at your earliest possible convenience. I have copied all of them in this email as well. Please send me some dates you both would be able to meet.
Deputy Supervisor Gael Appler Jr
Chief of Police Gerry Cocozza
Highway Superintendent John Alonge
Deputy Highway Superintendent Gary Lazaroff
Code enforcement officer Thomas Corcoran Jr
Councilwoman Sherida Sessa
Councilman David Zambito
Supervisor Corcorn reports that a meeting did indeed happen after that email. Here’s what he said happened:
Yes, we met and DOT had said if we want turning lanes we need to engineer it and pay for it. They would let us apply for a permit to put in turning lanes, but DOT would not pay for them. I asked what a ballpark estimate would be for a turning lane and they said about $800k.
Why would the town have to engineer and pay for intersections on a state-maintained road?
Why is DOT unwilling to pay for this?
What do we have to do to get the NYSDOT to lower the speed limit on 9W?
Why do we see safety upgrades being implemented on sections of Route 9W outside of our town, but we continue to be dismissed in Marlborough?
Don’t let the DOT continue to ignore our pleas for help. Sign the petition.
safe9W.org 