Some Irondequoit residents aren't happy with a planned construction project on a portion of Empire Boulevard.
The project, which is scheduled to begin next spring, would reduce Empire Boulevard between Culver and Helendale roads from two lanes to one lane in both directions. A center lane would be added for left turns.
A sidewalk also would be installed on the south side of the boulevard.
The New York State Department of Transportation calls this a "road diet," and there are other examples of these projects already started or planned in Monroe County.
DOT spokesperson Jordan Guerrein said the changes will enhance safety and add more space for bicyclists and pedestrians.
"We've certainly heard from neighbors and residents who want shoulder space, who want sidewalk space, and who want to feel safe when they're walking down the road there," he said.
Guerrein also said road diets can reduce traffic crashes by up to 47 percent.
Christopher Burns lives in a neighborhood just north of Empire Boulevard. He and some of his neighbors have formed the Upper Empire Boulevard Stakeholders Group.
They are worried about more traffic on the already-congested road. Fresh in Burns' mind is a construction project that temporarily shut down the Route 104 East flyover last summer. He said traffic detours created gridlock on Empire Boulevard and traffic overflowed onto the residential side streets in his neighborhood.
"This is a busy artery," Burns said. "A lot of people use it and we've got a fire department at one end of the road; we've got a lot of things going on where we need a clear flow of traffic as much as possible throughout the day and the evening."
But Guerrein said the proposed changes should not lead to any extra delays.
"There are about 15,000 cars on average per day that travel that stretch of Empire Boulevard," he said. "That's actually less vehicle volume than what's currently on East Avenue in Brighton and Pittsford, where we currently have a road diet project of the same magnitude going on. We've seen that that project is certainly able and capable of handling that type of traffic, as well."
Burns doesn't think the portion of Empire Boulevard in Irondequoit is comparable to the section of East Avenue that Guerrein referred to. He said he doesn't like the "one-size-fits-all approach" to the planning.
Instead, Burns wants DOT representatives to meet with residents to talk about ways to expand the road to make it pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly without reducing the number of lanes. He is collecting signatures on two online petitions to gauge community sentiment on the issue. One petition is for those in favor of the project. One is to be signed by opponents of the current plans.
"We don't want this to be an 'us versus them,' " he said. "We want this to be an ‘us,’ all of us dynamic, and I think that's what we're hungry for."
The DOT did hold a public meeting on the project in July at the Laurelton Fire Department, but Burns claimed it was not well-advertised.
Guerrein said the meeting was "well-attended" and included input from community members both for and against the project. He said the project is still in the design stage and DOT welcomes all input.
Questions and comments should be directed to the project design degineer, Daniel Farrelly, at (585) 371-9242 or daniel.farrelly@dot.ny.gov.
