Rye Crosswalks Will Be Finished Before the Bell Rings

The City of Rye’s crosswalks on Boston Post Road and Central, Midland School at the north playground and on Milton/Hewlett will be completed by the time school starts on Sept. 9, officials say.

 The crosswalks at Midland School at the north playground, on Milton/Hewlett and Boston Post Road and Central Avenue will all be complete by the time school starts on Sept. 9, City Engineer Ryan Coyne said. The crosswalk at Palisade/Milton/Grace Church Street was milled, paved and repainted by the city Department of Public Works over the last two weeks.

The City of Rye is in the process of repainting all city crosswalks and of a large sidewalk repair and construction project. The sidewalk job started near Dock Deli on Milton Road at the end of July and will continue throughout the city over the next few months. The work is a result of a $1.67 million bond referendum that voters approved last November for the construction, reconstruction and improvements of city streets. 

Rye resident Jimmy Amico keeps city officials and reporters’ inboxes full with many emails of questions, suggestions and personal opinions on city activities and proposals. Last week, Amico sent detailed questions regarding the city’s crosswalk and sidewalk projects and their timing. I thought parents would be interested in Coyne’s answers to Amico’s thoughtful questions, so here they are: 

A.) I am assuming (the style of crosswalk at Palisade) is the new style direction you spoke of that we are going with for all the crosswalks?

 A. The new style of crosswalk, known as the "continental style", is considered more effective in making crosswalks more visible to vehicles. There's currently a mix of six different styles in the City and we are implementing a consistent style over time.

 B.) If correct, can you explain to me why DPW is wasting time & paint (money) restriping with the existing pattern style?

 B. Implementing the new crosswalk style will occur over a period of years. As you witnessed on Palisades the project requires the removal of existing pavement, repaving and repainting. The City does not have the funding or manpower to change all of the estimated 100 crosswalks at one time. In the meantime existing crosswalks not scheduled for replacement will be repainted in the current pattern. DPW likes to repaint all of the crosswalks prior to the start of school next month.

C.) 1st day of school is (Sept. 9), will the temporary pedestrian safety crossings, zones, changes, etc, etc, be in place and complete before September 9th?

 C. Crosswalks associated with the City's work will be installed prior to the start of school, including the newly requested crosswalk on Midland Avenue at the Midland School north playground.  Also, temporary parking restriction zones at the HS/MS that were approved by the Council will also be installed prior to September 9.

D.) Will the new sidewalks on BPR in front of the Churches & Nature Center be complete before September 9th?

D. The sidewalk on BPR will complete before September 9. 

E.) Will the Central Ave. bridge be complete & open before September 9th?

E. The Central Avenue Bridge will be completed and open before September 9. In addition, the sidewalk replacement on Milton Road near Dock Deli will also be completed before September 9.

F.) Why are we using "granite stone" for curbing instead of traditional poured concrete? Isn't this much more expensive and it does not conform with all other curbing in Rye?

F. Granite material cost is higher than concrete, but the installation/labor cost is lower. The overall cost is higher than concrete, but it is considered a more durable material and has a longer lifespan. There is no defined curbing standard in the City. The City has a mix of curbing materials including asphalt, concrete, granite, bluestone and Belgium block. In most cases we are implementing granite for new or replacement installations on main roads.

 G.) A suggestion for the snow field: instead of creating a crosswalk in the middle, we already have an existing crosswalk at the corner of OLD BPR & at the corner of Purdy/BPR, create a sidewalk where there is none (dig that little bit of hill out) put up a fence across the entire length of the snow field, leaving only the drive entrance open, the fence will force everyone to use the sidewalks & crossings on both ends of the snow field? 

G. Thank you for your suggestion. It is my recollection that there was a joint meeting with the City Council and BOE to discuss pedestrian safety relative to the HS/MS construction project. At that time the concept was to provide an additional crosswalk on BPR near the parking lot entrance rather than a new sidewalk connecting to the existing crosswalk at Old Post Road. I think it's believed that the new crosswalk would be more in the likely direction of travel of those walking from the parking lot to the school.  Currently, there is not a crosswalk on BPR near Parsons due to the poor sight distance around the bend.  Your idea of a fence is a good one, and I understand the school will be installing one.