Traffic Snarled Due to Road Project

Getting around Heathcote has been challenging for the past two weeks as Route 125, or Palmer Avenue is being repaved. Lanes have been closed, and access to Palmer Avenue from many of the side streets in Heathcote has been blocked off.

Traffic coming down Route 125 has been diverted to the Heathcote Bypass, sending drivers in big circles. Even worse, the state is using Ramsey Road as a staging area for large trucks and equipment. Since it’s the height of the vegetable season it has been particularly frustrating for residents who want to make purchases from Ramsey’s Farm. Trucks are parked on both sides of Ramsey Road and the intersection of Ramsey Road and Route 125 is closed. What to do? Some have decided it’s easier to walk!

According to Assistant Village Manager Justin Datino, the project, which extends from the White Plains border to Stratton Road in New Rochelle will be completed by Tuesday September 4. In response to complaints from residents about the poor condition of the road, the Village contacted the NYSDOT to request long term repair.

The NYSDOT Region 8 is coordinating the project, using a combination of contractors to operate the specialized road paving equipment and State DOT workers for trucking and labor. Engineer Shahid Quadri is managing the project for the state and has been working with the Village to coordinate traffic detours, equipment staging and other issues that arisen. The Village has been providing police support for traffic control.

After the paving is complete, line striping will follow and then the state will return to clean up the shoulder and drainage swales. The Village expects the job to “vastly improve the quality of life for residents along the road and the traveling public.”

So be patient – the end is near!