Construction on Route 5 planned to start earlier this month has been pushed back to late August, said Fayetteville Mayor Mark Olson.
“[The state Department of Transportation] had two projects let out at the same time by the same contractor, and the contractor said that it’s going to take them longer to do the other project, so they did that one first,” Olson said.
The mayor is concerned that the roadwork, originally planned to be finished before the school year started, will now run into early October, when traffic from school buses and other vehicles is heavier.
The state DOT will close a four-mile stretch of Route 5 in the village to replace a culvert under Brook’s Bridge. The official detour is about six miles and will lead drivers to Green Lakes Road in Mycenaue, then North Manlius Road, and have them return to Route 5 by the Fayetteville Fire Department.
Drivers will inevitably find alternative routes. Bob Duncanson, of Oakwood Street, expects some drivers to cut across Duguid Road and end up in his neighborhood, Huntleigh Park.
“If you live [on Briar Brook Run], the only way for you to get into the village is to go all the way around or go up to Duguid Road, down Duguid and then come down Salt Springs Road,” he said at Monday’s village board meeting. “Now they know when they get down into Salt Springs Road in the village it’s going to be a mob, so maybe they’ll start cutting through our neighborhood.”
He’s nervous that drivers could run the stop sign at Oakwood Street and Redfield Avenue, a four-way stop that he said is “never enforced.”
“As far as I’m concerned, a stop sign is worthless unless it’s enforced,” he said. “So my question is, what kind of cooperation are we going to get from the town of Manlius Police Department when all this is going on?”
The village has taken steps to plan for the roadwork, including installing two new stops signs at Brookside and Kessler lanes in response to a petition of Brookside Lane residents. Olson said the village is also prepared to put down temporary speed bumps where necessary.
“We have to be flexible because we don’t know where the impact is going to be,” the mayor said. “We don’t know where people are going to find the easiest way to cut through.”
Clinton Street stop sign approved
The board approved a motion by a vote of 3-2 to install a new stop sign for drivers heading west on Clinton Street, near Beech Street. Olson and trustees Dan Kinsella and Chris Randall voted yes while trustees Mike Small and Dennis Duggleby voted no.
The new stop sign was proposed in anticipation of the development of the vacant land formerly occupied by the McIntyre Paper Company.
“Either way, if the project does go through or if it doesn’t go through, it’s a good idea,” Olson said.
“I think [the stop sign] is very close to the one at Warren Street,” Small said. “I don’t know if we really need it, unless something really good comes to that area … the development’s not in there yet.”
The development project, which would bring bungalow-style homes to the lot, is expected to go to the planning board for approval at its next meeting at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13.
“Supposedly they’re closing on the property on Wednesday,” Olson said. “It definitely fits into the character of what we want in there.”
