The Tompkins County Highway Division announced last month the beginning of a two-phase plan for the reconstruction of Coddington Road.
According to John Lampman, highway engineer for the project, the first phase of the project will take place from Troy Road south to the Danby town line, away from the college. The second phase will take place from Troy Road north to Hudson Street, and will begin after the first phase is completed, he said.
Lampman said the bulk of the first phase of construction would involve paving 4-foot-wide shoulders, increasing sight lines and inserting a traffic-calming device — like a stoplight — to control speeding. By increasing sight lines, controlling speeding and better accommodating pedestrians, Lampman said the county hopes to bring the condition of the road better in line with its use.
“We’re looking to reduce the tendency of people to speed,” Lampman said.
Lampman said the county is still unsure what the traffic-calming device will be.
“For a road of this character, given the speed limit it has, it’s difficult to find methods that are cost effective,” he said.
Some of the options being considered are a rotary at the intersection of Burns Road and East King Road, and extending Burns Road so it aligns with East King Road.
Lampman said there is no specific start date for the first phase of the project. He said the design is not yet finalized, and the county still needs to approve the final plan. Lampman said he hopes the plan will be submitted to contractors in the fall, but the actual roadwork won’t begin until 2008.
The entire project will cost around $10 million, Lampman said, with 95 percent of the funding from federal and state grants. He said the county has a $5 million budget for each phase.
Richard Couture, associate vice president of the facilities office at the Physical Plant, said his main concern is for the safety and well-being of students at the college, as well as residents of Coddington Road, but does not foresee any problems anytime soon.
“Right now it’s still in the planning stages,” Couture said. “It’ll be awhile before we see any impact.”
