What was supposed to last just three to five weeks has become a neverending traffic nightmare for some Village residents.

In the beginning of October Mayor Matt Alexander announced that East Main Street from South Avenue (Route 9D) to Route 9 would be closed to eastbound traffic due to utility and road construction. The project, which was promised to just last from three to five weeks, essentially cut off access to Route 9 from the Village. With traffic only allowed from the westbound direction, commuters who needed to travel to Route 9 had to either go South on 9D or travel up to the South Hils Mall.

Anyone who drives in this areas knows just how much of an inconvenience this can be, adding as much as 15 minutes to what should be a simple ride across town. So when it was announced that the road would be closed for three to five weeks residents were prepared for the temporary inconvenience.

Nine weeks later the road remains closed, and with construction vehicles and barriers still blocking the roadway, many residents are wondering if the road will ever reopen. We were wondering too, so last week we reached out to the Mayor find out what was going on. We never received a response, but this weekend a construction update was posted to the Village of Wappingers Facebook page:

After torrential rain and an early snow, the work on East Main Street is coming to an end over the next couple of weeks. All the underground utilities (gas, water, sewer) are installed, tested, inspected, approved and connected. Additional work was approved to allow for a more solid and longer lasting smoother road surface. Today the contractor is finishing up with some prep to start paving over the road. The final top course will applied by December 14.

So the project that was supposed to last as little as three weeks is now scheduled to end just under ten weeks after starting. The good news is that, according to the Village, the project should "last for decades." We're hopeful that this important upgrade to the Village of Wappingers was truly worth the wait and inconvenience.

Has the road construction on East Main Street affected your daily commute? Let us know your thoughts about this project on our Facebook page or in the comments section below.

 

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