Press-Republican

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
December 3, 2008

Expressway meeting in Malone draws 60

<img src="/homepage/images_image_276103054" alt="&#149;">&nbsp;&nbsp;Residents looking for specifics, but few details are known now

By DENISE A. RAYMO

MALONE — A 90-minute forum Wednesday on the proposed Northern Tier Expressway drew about 60 Franklin County people wanting details on the path it would take through their communities.

But the consultants who created the plan said it is still in conceptual form, and specifics like those aren't included yet.

A transportation study conducted for the state Department of Transportation and Development Authority of the North Country recommends creation of a 175-mile four-lane rural highway to connect Watertown and Rouses Point via U.S. Route 11.

A meeting on changes proposed in Clinton County will be held at 7 tonight at the county's Emergency Services Center in Plattsburgh.

Route 11 passes through Franklin County at Moira, Brushton, North Bangor, Malone and Chateaugay, and residents from those communities wanted answers as to how their lives would be altered by such a project.

But Mike Morehouse, formerly of Wilbur Smith Associates which completed the draft Route 11 Corridor Study, said his team was asked to make recommendations of how to make traveling on Route 11 more time efficient and safer with possible community bypasses to boost economic development and eventually tie in to a regional highway system.

He said there is no federal money or state funds earmarked for an expressway and that even if money were available, it would take about 10 years to go through the necessary permitting and design needed for the project.

That's why interim improvements were the focus of the study, Morehouse said.

"If the expressway ever comes, we want to be sure communities are protected," he said, adding that the items suggested in the plan "are things we think we can accomplish."

Street-level changes include added turning lanes, retimed traffic signals, shared road usage with bicyclists and upgraded guiderails in communities along the corridor.

He said the idea is "to re-enforce villages as places" by increasing the quality of life for residents.

There is a $12 million pool of DOT funds available for smaller corridor-related projects, "and I think the community should get organized with the DOT and resident engineers and start talking about that," Morehouse said.

Most of those attending were concerned that even more trucks would speed past their homes if a four-lane route were built and that congestion in the villages would increase.

Malone Village Mayor Brent Stewart asked if something could be done by DOT now to slow speeding truckers because some pedestrians fear crossing the street at certain times.

Wayne Miller wanted to know why the less-traveled, less-populated Route 11B was not chosen as the main expressway path.

Morehouse said that roadway is not designated in the National Highway System, and any improvements would not be eligible for federal funding.

Some worried the state would force sidewalks, bike paths and wider roadways on to their property or just seize their land, while others wondered if noise buffers would be considered in high-traffic areas.

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Breaking News
New Today
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion' Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords 5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La. Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix