By Russ Tarby
Contributing Writer
The Liverpool Village Planning Board has sent a letter to the New York State Department of Transportation supporting the DOT’s plan to reduce Onondaga Lake Parkway from four to two lanes. At a July 12 meeting at Salina Town Hall, the DOT presented its proposed changes designed to decrease accidents.
“The planning board is in agreement with NYS regarding the option of a two-lane road,” the letter stated. “This plan is complementary to the Comprehensive Plan of the village of Liverpool and offers one part of the suggested solution to the traffic issues within the village as noted in the Onondaga County Settlement Plan 2001: Village Retrofit – Village of Liverpool.”
The letter was addressed to Nick DeCirce, project manager for the DOT’s Region 3.
The Liverpool planners also urged the state to set a lower speed limit on the parkway. It’s presently set at 55 mph during the summer and 45 mph from November to April.
“The anticipated reduced speed on the Onondaga Lake Parkway should assist in calming traffic through the village and is a step in the right direction to make for a more walkable community,” the letter stated.
The board, however, rejected the DOT’s proposed roundabout at Heid’s corner. “The board would suggest an adjustment of the intersection to a more normalized tee intersection in lieu of a roundabout at Heid’s corner,” the letter stated.
The planners suggested that the state consider using the Thruway as a bypass by providing free Thruway access to motorists from areas north of the village and the city of Syracuse. “This would greatly reduce traffic through and around the village as well as on the parkway,” the planning board wrote.
Drive-thru discussed again
At its two-hour-long meeting on July 25, the planning board heard from an architect representing the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru proposal for 105-113 Second St. Traffic engineer James Napoleon also discussed a study he conducted for the applicant including calculation of the number of new peak hour trips that can be expected along Second Street.
Napoleon also plans to attend a public hearing when it’s scheduled. The planning board expects to review a finalized site plan at its Aug. 22 meeting. At that point, the board may set a date for a public hearing.
