Published: September 13, 2007 07:22 pm            

WHEATFIELD: Board calls on DOT to take action

Wheatfield officials ‘demand’ state to reduce speed, add lights on Niagara Falls Boulevard

The Wheatfield Town Board is no longer asking nicely for the state Department of Transportation to make safety improvements along Niagara Falls Boulevard.

In light of recent car accidents, one of which killed a couple from Kenmore, the board has sent its “demands” to the state DOT to move up the third phase of reconstruction along Niagara Falls Boulevard immediately, to lower the speed limit along the boulevard to 45 mph and to install a traffic safety light at the intersection of Crescent and Niagara Falls boulevards.

“The proposal by the state to do Phase 3 is four years off,” Supervisor Timothy Demler said. “The project would include turning lanes but in the mean time, that’s a four or five year wait. They need to move up the project so no more tragedies occur.”

This is not the first time the board has passed resolutions asking the state DOT to reduce the speed limit and add traffic signals along Niagara Falls Boulevard, which is a state road.

For its part, the DOT said it has received each and every request from Wheatfield and has looked into them, except for these most recent resolutions which have not yet been received.

“We have several letters from Supervisor Timothy Demler and Town Clerk DeEtte Ferchen,” said DOT spokesperson Susan Surdej. “The requests have include adding right on reds and tri-color signals along with reducing the speed limit. For each request, a traffic study was done and responses were sent back.”

But to date, the town’s requests have not been met.

Niagara County Legislator Danny Sklarski has agreed to work with the town on getting its safety concerns addressed.

A group of concerned parents from St. John Lutheran School also presented a petition to the board requesting that the third phase of the reconstruction project start immediately — to have a center turning lane added along the boulevard and to have a left hand turn signal added at Ward Road.

Officials urged residents to contact their state representatives to request that safety issues along the boulevard be addressed immediately.

        

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