Bedford Town Board urges action on repaving Route 172

A portion of Route 172, also known as South Bedford Road, as captured by Google Street View in 2023. Google photo

By JEFF MORRIS 

The Bedford Town Board passed a resolution on Tuesday urging that the state take action to improve the condition of a section of State Route 172.

The resolution, proposed by board member Tom Catoliato, notes that it has been more than 14 years since New York state has paved this road, and for some portions maintenance has not been performed in as much as 20 years.

The section of the road in question is three-quarters of a mile and runs from the Fox Lane campus to the entrance to Sunnyfield Farm, with the resolution citing particular concern between Fox Lane and Clark Road.

Catoliato said this was something they’ve been working on for the better half of a year, and he knew Town Supervisor Ellen Calves and Public Works Commissioner Kevin Winn had been out on the road with the state the previous week. He said he speaks with Winn about it almost daily, and he thinks the road conditions have gotten to a point where this kind of resolution is necessary.

Calves noted they know the road is not on the state’s paving list for next year, which has already been determined based on funding available. “A formal resolution from the board is one thing that I think they always like to see, and the state legislators like to see, to try to push our project up to the front of the line — but also to push for more state funding for roads in general,” she said. More funding is needed because only five major projects a year throughout the New York State Department of Transportation Region 8 is “not enough.”

NYSDOT Region 8 is the Hudson Valley, and comprises Columbia, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties.

A proliferation of potholes

The resolution states that in the most recent publicly available pavement conditions report from NYSDOT, which is from 2021, the road is rated as Good/7. “However,” the resolution goes on, “the last 5+ years a proliferation of potholes, ruts and sub-par patchwork, resulted in increased unsafe conditions, damage to motor vehicles, dangerous road conditions, motor vehicles driving on the shoulder potentially endangering themselves and cyclists.” 

It says that patching and repairing, though done with good intentions, have “exacerbated the problems” and points out that this particular stretch of Route 172 acts as a main thoroughfare for school buses entering and exiting the Fox Lane Middle School and High School campus twice daily.

There is also a history, the resolution recounts, of numerous requests from town residents, the town supervisor, and the Department of Public Works to repave this section of road.

Board member Bobbi Bittker suggested they watch for the state’s 2025 road condition report, which she thought should be out “any time now,” to see if they had downrated the road; she said if it did, they should update the resolution and send it back out. She explained that the state did a complete evaluation of all roads every four years. Catoliato noted when the last rating was issued in 2021, it was the fifth straight time the road got a rating of 7, or “good.” 

The board adopted the resolution, with consensus that they should not wait for the 2025 report, but could do an update and send it again assuming the new evaluation downgrades the road’s condition. 

Begging for safety

The resolution “implores” the governor, NYSDOT “and our elected officials in Albany to do everything in their power to improve safety and address the unacceptable condition of the NYS Route 172 roadbed.”

Calves said they are talking to the DOT regularly about repair, which would be a more immediate solution, “but they have been out twice to repair this road this year and tell us they’ve put 40 tons of material down — but it just lifts up again and with the winter we’re sure it’s just going to keep lifting up and creating more potholes.” 

She said they are asking for a different kind of repair, but that this resolution is really to get the ball rolling on a repaving request.

Ultimately, said Calves, the state budget needs to be increased, which requires action by the state assembly and senate.

“I’m talking to the Westchester Municipal Officials Association about doing a joint letter,” she said, “asking for more funding for state roads,” and Winn has been working with DPW officials in Westchester to push for not only more funding, but better planning.

“I’m not sure how the funding is allocated to the different regions,” said Calves, “but Westchester has a lot of roads, a lot of traffic goes through Westchester, the roads deteriorate maybe faster than originally anticipated, but there has not been a significant increase in funding for state roads in the state budget for a very long time — and clearly, we’re falling behind on getting those capital improvements made.”

Calves said the resolution would be forwarded to state Sen. Pete Harckham, Assemblymember Chris Burdick, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and the DOT, and it can be revised and sent again once the 2025 data is available.