To the editor:
On Dec. 2, 2019, the Liverpool Village Board of Trustees held a special publicized meeting for village residents and invited The New York State Department of Transportation to again discuss the DOT’s plans to “improve safety” along Onondaga Lake Parkway (State Route 370)! The NYS DOT showed up and Ed Rodriguez presented the plans to the Liverpool village residents’ well-attended meeting but completely ignored, former trustee Dennis Hebert’s personal request to come back into the meeting and respond to the board’s and residents questions and comments portion of the meeting.
Residents of Liverpool and surrounding areas drive the parkway every day and had very good common sense comments and suggestions to the Board of Trustees and the absent DOT! It’s absurd that the DOT plans to reduce the four-lane parkway to two lanes on either side of the bridge for about 1,500 feet each side. Common sense tells you that traffic will back up into the village (mornings) and onto Route 81 in the evening rush from Syracuse.
I’d like to suggest that Old Liverpool Road be changed to Route 370 and only allow cars on Onondaga Lake Parkway which is used for a number of functions through the year. Also, the DOT has completely refused to repave Route 370 (Second Street) from Tulip Street out to Iroquois Lane over the past 14 or more years, per Liverpool’s Public Works Department numerous requests. It is very bumpy, from the state’s Band-Aid fixes to problems and has lots of holes. Keep all heavy dump trucks and tractor trailers off this village street until it’s properly restructured and repaved to properly and safely handle the traffic.
The above ignorance by the state DOT tells me they don’t care about the village of Liverpool or its traffic safety and its affected area residents, especially with a proposed huge warehouse that will add much more traffic. Is someone down in Albany pushing this project? What about any cracks in the railroad bridge from the numerous truck and double-decker bus collisions in the past? The state DOT claims no responsibility for that bridge over the parkway. They say, “It’s the railroad’s responsibility,” and have washed their hands for any possible falling debris.
John H. Fritzen
Liverpool
