POUGHKEEPSIE – When the City of Poughkeepsie was awarded nearly $10 million from the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, one of the projects the local committee sought approval for was changing Market Street into a two-way street between the east and westbound arterials.
On Thursday, Governor Hochul approved $1.23 million for the conversion.
The revised traffic plan will provide one lane for traffic in each direction, a protected two-way cycle track, and improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
The plan is not without opposition. Frank Castella, the President and CEO of the believes it will create substantial traffic flow issues.
“From my perspective, converting it to a two-way street does not seem like a good idea,” the business leader said. When Mid-Hudson News asked if the Dutchess County buses that park along Market Street between the MJN Convention Center and the Financial Parking Deck (FPD) would create additional issues, Castella said, “You are absolutely correct about the bus issue—buses parking on the street currently block safe exits from both the bus depot and the garage (Financial Parking Deck). Where do they get moved to?”
Castella and several commuters noted that exiting the FPD at the end of the day results in cars in two lanes turning right onto three northbound lanes, only to get stuck at the traffic light at the westbound arterial. Traffic backups are a daily occurrence, and on several days, the cars waiting to exit the FPD are backed up to the fourth (top) level. “We’ve even had people come into our office asking to use the restrooms for their kids after being stuck in the garage for over 45 minutes. And that’s with three lanes available exiting. I can’t imagine what the situation would look like with a single exit lane and a right-turn-only configuration.”
The latest set of plans for the project has not been revealed.
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