Village snags $7M federal grant for street safety

The intersection of Columbus Avenue and Lexington Avenue, the site of frequent speeding traffic as pedestrians cross, will be one area of focus for improvements that will be largely paid for by a $7 million federal grant awarded to Mount Kisco. Martin Wilbur Photo

By MARTIN WILBUR

The Village of Mount Kisco got one of the best presents it could have hoped for two days before Christmas.

Officials were informed on Dec. 23 that the village was awarded a $7 million federal grant from its Safe Streets and Roads for All grant application submitted earlier this year for pedestrian safety and traffic improvements at key locations throughout the village. More than $980 million was awarded to 521 communities across the U.S. last week.

Of the money awarded to Mount Kisco, $6,520,000 will be used to install the actual improvements with the remaining funds to be spent on steps that will be used to calm traffic for vehicles using several village streets as cut-through routes.

“It’s a shot in the arm,” said Mayor J. Michael Cindrich. “We are basically, I don’t want to use the word hub, but we’re the crossroads for a lot of traffic off of 684, going on Route 133 and 117.”

The grant requires a 25% match from the village of $1.75 million. Cindrich said Mount Kisco will continue to pursue other sources at the county and state level to help further offset the cost.

Improvements that will be addressed were identified in the Complete Streets Study that was conducted by the village’s consultant, AKR Inc., along with the Complete Streets Committee comprised of village residents.

Pedestrian safety and traffic calming improvements will be done over about 1.8 miles of West Main Street, Main Street and Lexington Avenue, three thoroughfares that were the site of hundreds of accidents over a five-year period from 2018 through 2022. Many of the accidents involved pedestrians, occurred in the dark and/or occurred while drivers were turning.

Specific improvements include upgrading six traffic signals with emergency vehicle preemption and reflectorized backplates; adding leading pedestrian intervals and exclusive pedestrian phases; installing corridor lighting and standardizing 11-foot travel lanes; enhancing pedestrian infrastructure with upgraded accessible pedestrian signals, high-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions and curb ramp upgrades, pedestrian hybrid beacons or rectangular rapid-flashing beacons and pedestrian safety refuge islands; constructing a new sidewalk on the west side of Lexington Avenue; and improving crossings at the intersections of St. Mark’s Place and Main Street, Lexington Avenue and Columbus Avenue, and Lexington Avenue and Radio Circle Drive.

Cindrich said executing the work will take coordination with the New York State Department of Transportation and Westchester County, since Main Street and West Main Street are state roads and Lexington Avenue is a Westchester County road. This is in addition to two other projects that the state has committed to in the village — removal of the slip lane at the intersection of Routes 117 and 133 and improvements on Route 117 at Barker Street. However, the work at those two locations has been postponed because of the recent long-term closure of the Preston Way bridge.

“All of this work is on the drawing board,” Cindrich said. “The challenge for Mount Kisco is really can we coordinate all this work to get it done in a timely fashion.”

Streets including West Hyatt Avenue, Gregory Avenue, Smith Avenue, Moore Avenue and Grove Streets and several others will be the site of temporary measures such as raised rubberized crosswalks, speed cushions and raised tables over a three- to six-month period. Data will be collected before and after the installation of these measures to help village officials and its consultants install a permanent traffic calming program.

“The demonstration component allows us to test solutions, collect real-world data and engage residents before making permanent changes,” Village Manager Ed Brancati said in a statement. “This approach ensures smarter investments and better outcomes for our community.”

Earlier this year, Mount Kisco imposed a villagewide 25-mph speed limit on its local roads as a first step to help neighborhoods that have been plagued by speeding traffic.