New York State Department of Transportation Region 7

2004 Annual Report George E. Pataki Joseph H. Boardman R. Carey Babyak, P.E. Governor Commissioner Regional Director

he North Country Region is the largest in the State, covering 8,634 square miles. The 600 employees of Region 7 serve a population of approximately 400,000 people. The Region has 3 cities, 53 villages and 104 towns as well as one Native American Reservation within its five county

area. Jefferson County is home to Fort Drum, where the renowned 10th Mountain Division is stationed. The Region is served by airports in Watertown, Ogdensburg, Massena, Saranac Lake, and Clinton County and also includes the Port of Ogdensburg.

T The State Highway network in Region 7 includes approximately 3,500 lane miles of streets and highways and 400 State bridges. There are four major international border highway crossings, including three via St. Lawrence River spans. There is one Interstate structure at Rouses Point on Lake Champlain, linking New York and Vermont. The Interstate Highway System in this Region (Interstates 81 and 87) leads to the border crossings at their northern termini. In addition to the highway network, there are two major railroads, three shortline railroads and several industrial rail lines in the Region. The major railroads (CSX and CP's D&H) are north-south carriers of both domestic and Canadian freight. CSX has located a trans-flow facility in the Port of Ogdensburg to trans-ship loads between rail and truck serving an area that reaches into Canada. Rail passenger service is provided by Amtrak with NYSDOT subsidy on the D&H through Clinton County on the New York City -Montreal, Canada route. In addition, the State owned railroad is now operating a historic tourist train between the Villages of Saranac Lake and Lake Placid.

Regional Director’s Message Once again, Region 7 has come together to deliver a valued service to the traveling public and to all who depend on an efficient and effective transportation network throughout the North Country. This achievement is realized through the diligence and dedication of those who work here and call the area their home. It is through this continued commitment to the Region that we will continue to deliver products and services that North Country residents and those traveling through the area have come to expect and appreciate. For your hard work and dedication, I extend my sincerest thanks.

Regional Construction

Major Construction Projects Completed During 2004 Rte. 11, Champlain – Rouses Point

This project consisted of major reconstruction and rehabilitation on Route 11 in the Village of Rouses Point in Clinton County.

The reconstruction of Route 11 began just to the west of the Village line and proceeded east into the Village for 1.5km to the intersection of Route 9B. New storm drainage, water line, and sanitary sewer were constructed amongst the existing water lines, sanitary, storm and underground electrical. Excavation depths varied from 1.5m to 6m with up to 1.2m of rock excavation. Permanent lagging walls were constructed in front of two houses that are located close to Route 11 to facilitate the lowering of the mainline profile.

The mill and fill portion on Route 9B started just to the south of the Village line and proceeded 2.78km north through the downtown area to the Route 9B/Route 2 intersection.

Numerous enhancements such as colored textured cross-walks were included to allow the project to conform to Rouses Point’s designation as a Quality Community. The Village of Rouses Point project was awarded to Kubricky Construction Corp. for a bid of $6.5 million. The Engineer-in- Charge was Warren Bessette. I-87 between Cumberland Head and Chazy

This project consisted of 11.5 miles of resurfacing on I-87. Guide rail replacements and the installation of traffic counters were also a part of this contract. Glenn Martin was the Engineer-In-Charge and the cost was $ 7.7 Million. Kubricky Construction was the prime contractor on this project. Rte. 970B over the Grasse River in the Village of Massena.

Rehabilitation of this structure was completed this year. Construction of ornamental railings and lighting was included in this contract. The contract included a provision that allowed for a maximum time of 140 days that the structure could be closed to traffic. Pedestrian access across the structure was maintained at all times during the construction. This contract was bid at $ 1.9 Million and the Engineer-In-Charge was Randy Lauzon. H. Schickel General Contractor was the prime contractor.

Rte. 812 over Beaver Creek

This project involved the replacement of a large multi-plate culvert with a new three-sided concrete box culvert installation. The construction was staged so that traffic was maintained on Rte. 812 at all times during the project using temporary traffic signals. This created a unique situation since this area has a large population of Amish residents. The signal timing had to be altered to accommodate the time required for horse and buggy to clear the work zone. Mike Witt was the Engineer-In-Charge and the bid price was $1.3 Million. Luck Brothers was the prime contractor.

Rte. 342 between Rte. 11 and Rte. 283

This project involved the reconstruction of Rte. 342 between Rte. 283 and Rte. 11 in Jefferson County. This included the replacement of the Rte. 342 bridge over the CSX railroad and a new at-grade rail crossing on the main Fort Drum rail spur. The Fort drum spur reconstruction required extensive coordination with Fort Drum officials to minimize any impacts or conflicts with the deployment of any of the 10th Mountain Division Units. This project was a second place winner of the Excellence in Partnering Award for Informal Partnering, awarded jointly by the AGC and NYSDOT. Ken Bibbins was the Engineer-In-Charge and the project was bid at $ 5.5 Million. Barrett Paving Materials was the prime contractor.

Rte. 37 and Rte. 37C bridges in St. Lawrence County

The twin bridges carrying Rte. 37 over the Raquette River have been replaced with a single structure. Additionally, the bridge carrying Rte. 37C over the St. Regis Tributary has been replaced. Since this project is located on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, the project required extensive coordination with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. A substantial portion of the work was completed by a sub-contractor, which was a Native American-owned business which utilized a Native American workforce. Overall, 34% of the workforce consisted of Native Americans. This contract was bid at $ 9.4 Million and the Engineer-In-Charge was Jim Kentile. Luck Brothers was the prime contractor

Rte. 3 between Sevey’s Corner and Childwold

The Rte. 3 Asphalt Concrete Resurfacing Project is located within the Adirondack Park in St. Lawrence County. The job limits extend from Sevey’s Corner, at the intersection of Rte. 3 and 56, easterly 3.04 kilometers into the town of Piercefield. The original concrete road was built in 1925. The existing concrete has been widened and overlaid with asphalt concrete several times since then. Kubricky Construction Corp., located in Glens Falls, N.Y., began work in April of 2004 and the project was completed in the fall. Improvements consist of some mainline and shoulder reconstruction, with new drainage pipes, and edge drain installed the entire length. The travel lanes were cold recycled in place, followed by mainline pavement courses. Utility relocation, tree clearing, and drilling and blasting rock was necessary, as extensive slope work was required to construct new roadside ditches. This contract was bid at $ 1.7 Million and the Engineer-In-Charge was Bill Nevil.

Other Work: The construction group also managed maintenance and repair type contracts during the season:

• Specialized Pavement Markings - $ 200,000 • Traffic Signal Improvements - $ 890,000 • Pavement Crack Sealing - $ 344,000 • Stand-By Bridge Repairs - $ 532,000 • Bridge Painting - $ 772,000

Major Construction Projects Started During 2004

I-87 over the abandoned D & H Railroad

A first of its kind Construction Project in Region 7 is underway on I-87 south of Plattsburgh. The project, D259677, consists of the removal of the north and south bound I-87 bridges over the abandoned D & H Railroad and their replacement with tire shreds and earthen embankment fill.

Kubricky Construction Corp. was awarded the contract, worth $ 2.1 Million, and started work in September. Dean DeWitt is the Engineer-in-Charge. All work is scheduled to be complete by November 2005. The scope of the project was to construct a north bound crossover and remove the northbound bridge, place embankment and reconstruct the road section. Once this is completed, switch traffic back to normal and remove the north- bound crossover. Construction of southbound crossover would then occur and the removal of southbound bridges will be done. Embankment would then be placed, reconstruction of road sections done and traffic returned to normal.

The unique part of this project is that we are using about 950,000 tires, shredded to less than 16 inches and greater than 1 ½ inches in size for the embankments. This is equal to 9,500 Metric Tons or 13,571 Cubic Meters of material. We constructed the first tire cell (a cell is a placement of tire shreds encapsulated with Geotextile Separation material) which contained 66,360 tires in the north bound crossover south of the bridges, and the second tire cell under the existing bridges which contained 679,600 tires this fall. We are looking at installing the third tire cell in the spring; 1.5 meters below the subgrade and placed over the second cell in the area of the old north bound bridge which will contain 101,600 tires. It was determined that given the time it takes for the cells to reach there final settlement, it would not be feasible to include the fourth cell into the project, which was to be installed over second cell in the area of the old bridge. Rte. 86 between Gabriels and Donnelly Corners

Reconstruction on Rte. 86 was started this year. Complete reconstruction of the highway section and re-alignment of the intersection with Bloomingdale Road will be done under this contract. This project will incorporate living snow fences in isolated areas to minimize white out conditions from blowing snow. This project is located within the Adirondack Park and extensive coordination has been done in an attempt to balance the needs of both the highway and the Park. This project was bid at $ 6.4 Million and the Engineer-In-Charge is Tom Maroun. Luck Brothers is the prime contractor. Culvert repair/replacement on I-81 and Rte. 12

The contract was started this year. Culverts at four locations on I-81 will be rehabilitated and a large culvert on Rte. 12 over Mill Creek in the Town of Lowville will be constructed, along with a new cattle pass. Tioga Construction is the prime contractor and Ken Tousley is the Engineer-In-Charge. The project cost is $ 1.0 Million.

Highway Work Permits

The construction phase of major highway work permits is managed by the Construction Group. Each year the quality of the maintenance and protection of traffic and the project safety continue to improve. This can be attributed to the frequent and thorough inspections conducted by the Regional Construction Group. These projects are also inspected each year by the Main Office MPT Review Team and have shown consistent improvement

In 2004, 10 permits were inspected with an estimated cost of $2.5 million,

These amounts only account for work on our ROW and do not represent total project costs. There can be a significant difference between the total project cost and the cost of work on our ROW. For example, the Town of Alexandria/Orleans/Clayton permit has an estimated cost of $805k for work on our ROW, but the total project cost is estimated at $9.3 million.

Work Zone Safety

During the 2004 Construction season, work zone safety continued to be a priority on all of our projects. We worked closely with the State Police to control aggressive driving by coordinating Operation Hardhat. We also implemented Memorandums of Understanding with the State Police to improve the safety of our work zones. Through the diligent work of our Construction Staff, our work zone safety rating improved from the previous year. This demonstrates Regional Construction's dedication to providing safe work zones for both the traveling public and the people working within the work zones. Accident reporting was improved by the implementation of the Construction Accident Reporting Program. Now, all accidents that occur on our Projects are reported electronically. Having an electronic database of accidents allows us to search for specific accident types both Regionally and Statewide to develop Lessons Learned, that are then used in the prevention of future accidents.

Affirmative Action

During the 2004 Construction Season, contract compliance continued to meet goals on D/M/WBE utilization based on goal attainment or good faith effort as determined by OEODC. Post-award utilization was monitored and in most cases exceeded the pre-award figures. Employment utilization goals, on the average, have met or exceeded the county and state goals.

Traffic Engineering and Highway Safety

2004 Accomplishments

The mission of the Region 7 TE&HS group is to provide a safe and efficient highway environment for all users through the application of sound traffic engineering principles. Providing a safe and efficient highway environment benefits all users of the State’s transportation system including motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, public transportation providers, and commercial vehicle operators. The Operations Group completed 283 traffic engineering studies based on inquiries submitted by elected officials and the general public. On a routine basis, the Operations Group is responsible for performing speed studies on both State and local highways. For capital project development, 85th percentile speeds are determined for State highways and are then used for establishing highway operating speeds and recommended project design speeds. In addition, speed studies are performed in response to requests for reduced speed zones on both State highways and local highways. The Operations Group regularly receives requests from school districts for establishing School Speed Zones including the location of appropriate highway signs and beacons. Establishment of appropriate School Speed Zones is a cornerstone of our efforts to insure a safe highway operating environment for students, buses, and the traveling public. The Regional Traffic Permit Unit issued 475 Highway Work Permits and 2666 Special Hauling Permits. Developers and the trucking industry rely on the Region 7 Permit Unit for their high level of customer service. Traffic Signal Crews are responsible for 253 signals stretched over a five county area in northern New York. They performed 972 scheduled repairs to signals and 76 unscheduled (emergency) repairs. In addition, they completed 338 preventative maintenance job assignments on the Region’s traffic signals. The Region continues to maintain portable Variable Message Signs (VMS’s) and queue detection trailers at the Interstate 81 and Interstate 87 border crossings with Ontario and Quebec, respectively. This equipment, in combination with Closed-Circuit TV (CCTV) surveillance equipment installed by Region 7 Traffic Signal Crews in 2002, allows the Department to monitor traffic backups at these two important border/trade crossings. The CCTV equipment gives us a visual read on backups while the queue detection trailers automatically sense traffic queues and active VMS’s further southbound on each interstate highway to alert motorists of backups and potential delays at the border crossings. This work requires close coordination between Region 7 Traffic personnel, United States Customs and Canadian Customs in a joint effort to ensure highway safety and border security.

Region 7 Traffic routinely implements messages on three permanent Variable Message Boards installed along Interstate 81 in Jefferson County. Messages may convey information to motorists concerning highway work zones, inclement weather conditions, Amber Alert or lane/road closures due to motor vehicle accidents. Region 7 Traffic continued to work with U.S. Customs, Canadian Customs and the Quebec Ministry of Transportation regarding the appropriate signing both north and south of the United States-Canadian border for Free And Secure Trade (FAST) lanes. This program will allow transport carriers in Canada and the United States to obtain a pre-authorization that will allow them expedited entry from one country to the other, thus avoiding long delays at the border crossing. In addition, we also became involved in NEXUS signing, a fast pass system for automobile operators who routinely cross back and forth across the U.S./Canadian border. The Region 7 Safety Unit completed Highway Safety Investigations for 7 capital projects including 3 PIL studies during 2004. The work output from this unit is critical to the successful advancement of the Capital Program both in project development and detailed design phases. This unit also participates in the SAFETAP program which helps ensure that safety considerations are incorporated into the Department’s Maintenance paving projects, both Preventive Maintenance Paving (PMP) and Vendor Placed Paving (VPP) projects. In addition, this unit is heavily involved in the Department’s Skid Accident Reduction Program (SKARP). This program identifies wet road accident locations on State highways, friction tests them and treats those locations which are experiencing both wet road accidents and pavement friction below the Programmatic Design Target Friction Number (PDTFN). Finally, this unit processes numerous requests for accident studies and data from various Departmental units and the Attorney General’s Office on an as-needed basis.

Regional Transportation Maintenance

Clinton County Residency - 2004 Accomplishments

Paving Program

Rte. 11, Champlain

State Forces prepared this project for the 10 lane miles of resurfacing by Carter’s Trucking and Blacktopping under the Vendor Placed Paving Program. Drainage improvements, milling the wearing surface of the structure over Interstate 87, safety enhancements and shoulder back-up were completed by residency forces. Durable pavement markings and new detector loops for the signals at the ramps were installed by the Department forces. Guide rail installations were updated as part of a D contract later in the year.

Rte. 22, Mad Russian’s – City Line

This project called for the resurfacing of ten lane miles of highway. The first 4.4 lane miles were paved by residency employees and the remaining 5.6 lane miles were paved by N. J. Brunell & Son, Inc. under the Vendor Placed Paving program. Maintenance forces cleaned ditches, slip lined a deteriorated culvert, extended culverts and made other safety improvements. After paving was complete residency crews placed shoulder back-up. The project was striped by maintenance forces and preformed symbols were installed under a D contract.

Rte. 9, Chazy – Rte. 11

The project included of an extensive amount of ditching and drainage improvements, numerous safety improvements including flattening of slopes and upgrading sign installations. The 12.5 lane miles of asphalt overlay was placed by Kubricky Construction Corp. under the Vendor Placed Paving program. Maintenance forces completed the project by placing striping and shoulder back-up.

Rte. 9N, Au Sable Forks – Clintonville

Residency Forces repaired shoulders and placed 6 lane miles of pavement. Once paving was complete the project was striped and shoulders backed-up by Maintenance crews.

Special Projects

Storage Buildings – Plattsburgh

Two new 50’ x 120’ storage buildings were completed this year. The building on the left houses the sign crew truck and materials in one half and cold storage on the other side. The building on the right is equipment storage. Both structures were built with residency crews with an assist from the St. Lawrence Residency crane crew for setting trusses.

Rte. 9N, Au Sable Forks Retaining Wall

Residency forces constructed a precast concrete retaining wall to stabilize a pedestrian walkway. They also placed slope protection to guard against erosion from high water endangering the new retaining wall and existing structure. The work included installing a turbidity curtain in the river then excavating to form a key for the rock into the riverbed. Once the slope was stabilized the retaining wall was constructed, new concrete sidewalk poured and pedestrian bridge rail extended. The additional rail and posts were fabricated at the residency.

Rte. 373 Slope Repair

A portion of the slope between the highway and the lake shore failed endangering the roadway. Residency crews excavated the unstable material and placed 500 MT of stone fill to reconstruct the slope, then repaired the damage to the guide rail, shoulder and pavement.

Rte 9N, Valcour

A section of the highway began to collapse due to a deteriorated pipe joint allowing water to erode backfill material. An abandoned culvert below this pipe had collapsed and was accepting displaced material. Residency crews slip lined the culvert and repaired the roadway. A regional soils drilling crew drilled a shaft into the abandoned culvert and residency personnel pumped low strength grout to fill the culvert.

Snowplow Turn-Arounds – Rte. 11 and Rte. 374

For increased safety during snow and ice operations snowplow turn arounds were built 1 mile west of Rte. 22 on Rte. 374 and at the Franklin County line on Rte. 11. On Rte. 374 it was constructed completely

side the ROW. At Rte. 11 a Town of Chateguay road was upgraded. in

Miscellaneous Paving

Residency crews constructed and paved a pad for storing sand in the Plattsburgh yard. The settling basin, employee parking area and driveway at the Ledgers facility were repaired and paved. Pavement patches were placed on Rte. 190 and Rte. 374 to repair damage from frost and water infiltration.

Clinton County - 2004 Summary

Vendor Placed Paving - 27 lane miles State Forces Paving - 7 lane miles

Guide Rail Repairs - 16,218 linear feet Mowing - 717 shoulder miles Signs Repaired - 1,537 each Ditching - 40,874 linear feet

Herbicide Application - 121 shoulder miles Snow & Ice J Miles - 268,710 lane miles

Franklin County Residency – 2004 Accomplishments

During the 2004 year, the Franklin County Residency accomplished several projects and related activities from the typical Snow & Ice Control activities during the winter months to several pavement preservation projects during the summer season.

Pavement Preservation

Route 3 – Tupper Lake to Saranac Lake

Twenty eight (28) lane miles of Vendor Placed Paving. A single course wearing surface of 1-1/2" was placed. This was followed by State Forces shoulder back-up material placement and incidental construction.

Route 3 – Merrill’s Corners to the Clinton County Line

Thirteen (13) lane miles of Vendor Placed Paving wearing course. This was preceded by State Forces underdrain installation at a problem location and followed by shoulder backup material placement and incidental construction, including sign replacements by state forces.

Route 95 – South Bombay to Bombay

Six (6) lane miles of vendor placed paving wearing course followed by State forces shoulder backup material placement and incidental construction.

Route 11 – North Bangor to Creighton Road

Four (4) lane miles of State forces paving. This project included a truing and leveling course followed by a wearing course. State forces placed shoulder backup material as well as various incidental construction.

Route 37 – Fort Covington

Two (2) lane miles of State forces paving. This project included a truing and leveling course followed by a wearing course. State forces placed shoulder backup materials as well as completing various incidental construction activities.

St. Regis Reservation Roads

Two (2) lane miles of State forces paving. This project included a truing and leveling course followed by a wearing course. State forces placed shoulder backup materials as well as completing various incidental construction activities such as ditching.

Routine Maintenance

In addition to the paving projects, Residency crews undertook a variety of maintenance activities, including an emergency slope repair on Route 3 in the Town of Harrietstown. The repair was required due to the shifting of the gabion basket retaining wall that supported this section of highway. The repair consisted of relining a culvert and the installation of over 3000 Ton of light and medium stone fill while

inimizing impacts to the adjacent wetlands and forest preserve. m

The residency staff also cleared and grubbed and later paved the area for the new Lake Clear Salt Building. The employees cut several trees, removed stumps, and rough graded the site in and timely manner thus allowing for the building contractor to maintain his schedule. In addition to the yard work at Lake Clear the residency repaved a portion of the residency parking lot.

Snow and Ice Control

During the Snow & Ice Season, the Residency operates 19 large plow trucks and related equipment out of six (6) locations that provide around the clock operation, as necessary, to battle snow and ice conditions. Of these six (6) locations, one (1) is a shared facility with Essex County of N.Y.S.D.O.T. Region 1 located in Ray Brook and another facility is located near the St. Regis Indian Reservation to maintain the local roads on the Reservation The residency headquarters is located in Malone. In addition to the State forces snow and ice control activities, Franklin County administers Snow & Ice contracts with seven (7) municipalities to cover approximately 20% of the State highways located within the county.

Malone Residency Headquarters Cross Clearing Sub-Residency

As technology is evolving, Franklin County is expanding its use of liquid deicers and has outfitted three small trucks with a seventy-five (75) gallon tank and spray bar to spray deicers on problem-prone areas, such as bridge decks during the foremen’s routine patrols. This environmentally-friendly method is proving to be effective by concentrating the deicers only in areas necessary due to freezing. In addition to the small liquid deicing unit the residency has constructed a salt brine-making operation. This allows the residency the ability to make a prewetting agent at a fraction of the cost of buying liquids on the open market. Presently salt brine is being produced at about 5 cents per gallon and is appropriate to about 10 degrees F.

Franklin County - 2004 Work Summary

State Forces Paving - 7 lane miles Vendor Placed Paving - 47 lane Miles

Ditching - 57,680 linear feet Signs Repaired - 1,710 each Mowing - 961 shoulder miles

J-Miles Plowing - 290,007 lane miles Tree Removal - 812 trees

Guide rail Repair - 116,182 linear feet Grade & Removal Material - 100,095 linear feet

Jefferson County Residency - 2004 Accomplishments

Summer Program In 2004, the Jefferson Residency continued to work to preserve the investment made over the years in the highway infrastructure. Recognizing that funds will be difficult to attain for major improvements, we must preserve and maintain what we now have. To that end, we have turned our attention to a program that emphasizes moving the water away from the highways so that the sub-grade and sub-base stay as water- free as possible. With a rented dozer and a tracked backhoe from a shared service agreement, this year we were able to restore the drainage to a significant number of outlet ditches. We believe that this will provide a significant “bang-for-the-buck” when it comes to preserving our investment. This effort should help to alleviate one of the major causes of premature pavement failures and should allow us to realize a longer life expectancy for the selections we make in our pavement preservation program.

Paving Program

Vendor Placed Paving (Traditional) Route 12 – Lewis County Line to Plank Road

Sixteen lane miles of this heavily-traveled route were resurfaced with 40mm of Superpave by Barrett Paving Materials. Shoulder trimming and gravel back-up operations were completed by State Forces.

Route 3 – Route 178 to Route 193

Eleven lane miles were resurfaced with 40mm of Superpave by Barrett Paving Materials. Culvert repairs and replacements were made by State Forces in advance of the project. Shoulder trimming and gravel back-up operations were completed by State Forces.

Route 3 – Watertown City Line to Route 342

Seven lane miles were resurfaced with 40mm of Superpave by Barrett Paving Materials. State Forces placed truing and leveling at spot locations as necessary. Shoulder trimming and gravel back-up operations were also completed by State Forces.

Route 3 – Arsenal Street, Coleman Avenue to Massey Street

Four and a half lane miles of this busy City street were repaired with a mill & fill project. All work associated with this project was performed at night to lessen the impact on the traveling public and to improve project safety for the work force. Significant coordination efforts between the City, the milling contractor, DOT forces (Highway Maintenance, Bridge Maintenance, Signal Crew and Striping Crew) and the VPP contractor were necessary to bring this project to a successful completion.

Route Interstate 81 – Southbound Comfort Station to Arsenal Street

Twenty lane miles of this busy interstate highway were resurfaced with 40mm of Superpave by Barrett Paving Materials. Unique to this project was the need to fill the MIARDs before placing the single course overlay. This work was accomplished by Residency forces. Additionally, the MIARDs were replaced upon completion of the project by another vendor.

Vendor Placed Paving (Micro-Surfacing)

Route 126 – Route 12 to Rutland Center

Eight lane miles of Type II micro-surfacing were placed by Suit Kote. This pavement preservation treatment was chosen to address some rutting and polishing of the existing surface with the anticipation that it will last until the next resurfacing is needed.

Route 11 – Watertown City limits to Route 232 (Rices Road)

Nine (9) lane miles of Type II micro-surfacing were placed by Suit-Kote. This project was micro-surfaced last year but had not performed satisfactorily. We held discussions with Suit-Kote and they agreed that it was their responsibility and they redid the section at no cost to the State.

State Forces Paving

Route 12 – Plank Road to Route 126

Seven lane miles were resurfaced with 40mm of Superpave using the State Forces Paving crew. A portion of the project was milled out prior to placing the single course overlay. Shoulder trimming and gravel back-up operations were also completed by State Forces.

Paving Program Summaries

State Forces Paving - 7 lane miles Milling - 56,000 SY

Vendor Placed Paving (Traditional) - 57 lane miles Vendor Placed Paving (Micro-Surfacing) - 17 lane miles

Routine Maintenance

In addition to the paving program, the Residency performs a multitude of tasks that encompass preventive maintenance, repair maintenance and demand maintenance. Some typical tasks and their associated accomplishments for the past year are noted below:

Shoulder Cutting/Trimming - 340,000 linear feet

Mowing – 2748 shoulder miles Herbicide – 837 shoulder miles

Tree Removal – 583 each Guide Rail Repairs - 42,000 linear feet

Culverts (Cleaning/Repair/Replacement) - 4,000 linear feet Roadside/Outlet Ditching - 71,632 linear feet

Sign Repairs – 1460 each

As well as work performed in support of our goal to maintain our infrastructure investment, the Residency is called upon to assist other entities (State Agencies, County Highway, Townships, etc). A significant tool for us is the Shared Services arrangements we have with many of these groups.

Winter Program

The Jefferson County Residency has the responsibility for Snow and Ice operations for over 1000 lane miles of highway. Fourteen (14) municipal contractors assist in this venture by maintaining approximately 270 lane miles with DOT forces maintaining the remaining 780 lane miles with a 30 truck fleet. Certainly one of the challenges for the Residency is the lake effect snow that comes off Lake Ontario. At the northern limits of the County, snowfalls are typically around 75 inches annually. At the southern limits, the snowfall is around 325 inches. We routinely move trucks to follow the storms as they move throughout the County. The workforce at Jefferson Residency has openly accepted the salt-priority program that has been promoted to them and they continue to hone their skills in providing safe highways with a minimum of salt. Salt application rates have been reduced from an average of around 200 lb/lane-mile to around 165 lb/lane-mile. Another tool that we experimented with this year was to use pre-treated salt as opposed to using the on-board wetting systems. We had very encouraging results and found that we could cut our application rates nearly in half at colder temperatures. We expect to utilize this more in the upcoming years. We continue the use of pre-wetting liquids in support of our efforts with the pure salt.

This year there is a more formal arrangement for dealing with Snow and Ice control issues on the I-81 corridor that traverses both County and Regional boundaries into Oswego County. In the past, personnel and plows from Jefferson Residency were called upon to assist Oswego County in maintaining the I-81 corridor. These resources were “loaned” to Oswego County to be used to fight the storms. There were some operational issues with this arrangement which lead to a change in the implementation plan. This year, the resources would remain under the direction of the donor Residency but would be tasked with maintaining an agreed upon segment of the highway in the receiving Residency. As it turns out, there have not been enough requests for assistance to make any sort of assessment as to the effectiveness of this plan.

Jefferson County - Snow and Ice Summary:

J-Miles 345,000 Lane-Miles Salt 26,000 Tons

Lewis County Residency – 2004 Accomplishments

In 2004, The Lewis County Residency completed the following projects along with normal Snow and Ice Operations during the winter months. In addition, the residency worked with the public and other government entities with Adopt-a-Highway projects, County Fair, and beautification projects.

Vendor Placed Paving

Route 3 - Carthage to Fargo (Rte. 3A)

Four miles of vendor placed asphalt wearing course backed up by State Forces placed gravel and milling of existing overlay within the Village of Carthage. Route 126 - Carthage Village

Two miles of vendor placed asphalt wearing course backed up by State Forces placed gravel and milling of existing overlay within the Village of Carthage Route 26 - Martinsburg to Lowville

Three miles of vendor placed asphalt wearing course backed up by State Forces placed gravel and milling of existing overlay within the Village of Carthage

State Forces Paving

Route 177 - Woodbattle Rd. to Beetle Rd.

Four miles of State forces placed asphalt wearing course backed up by State Forces placed gravel.

Routine Maintenance

The Residency also completed many other projects including guide rail repair/replacement, shoulder repair and pothole patching, ditching, culvert replacement, sign replacement, tree and brush removal, and grading to reduce snow drifting. Guide Rail Installation Croghan Culvert Extension

Tththcobl Tsaala

Snow &

he Lewis County Residency operates 12 plows to remoe plows are located at the residency shop in Lowville, te sub-residency in Harrisville. The residency is alsntracts in the Villages of Carthage and West Carthaowers, two graders and several other pieces of equipm

he Lewis County Residency also participates in severalnd and salt to the County and several towns in return so plow a section of Village street for an equal value ofmile of town road for an agreed upon price of 2000 do

Clearing/Tree Remo

Lewis County Residenc

State Forces PavingVender Placed Paving

Ditching - 32,000Sign Repair - 1,

Mowing - 1,060 shTree Removal -

Guide Rail Repair - 7Grading - 8,800

Maintain/clean culverts J-miles plowing - 2

Salt - 21,000

Ice

ve snow from 360 lane miles of highway. Eight of wo at the sub-residency in Lyons Falls, and two at o responsible for two municipal snow and ice ge. In addition to the plows there are two large ent dedicated to Snow & Ice.

shared service agreements. We provide storage of for materials/equipment/labor of equal value. We sand pickup on State highways in the village and

llars.

val - Route 410

y - 2004 Summary

- 8 lane miles - 18 lane miles linear feet 100 each oulder miles 640 trees ,200 linear feet linear feet - 3,000 linear feet 97,000 miles tons

St. Lawrence County Residency - 2004 Accomplishments

During 2004, the St. Lawrence County Residency continued to make the transition to the new headquarters at our shop located on Route 11 in Potsdam. Ogdensburg will be among the list of sub-residencies joining Cranberry Lake, Hailesboro, Pleasant Valley, and Massena. The Equipment Management staff and special crews will remain in Ogdensburg. The old subresidency in Potsdam on Route 56 continued to undergo major renovations to provide office space for seasonal Construction staff and Bridge Inspection personnel. Providing Snow and Ice Control to Pavement Rehabilitation, the counties’ operational workforce, office and engineering staff remain very busy.

Snow and Ice

St. Lawrence County Residency operates 28 Large Plow Trucks and other related equipment to keep the traveling public safe. Over $1.2 Million will be spent on salt, calcium chloride, liquid deicers, and related snow and ice fighting equipment this past year. Maintenance crews work around the clock to cover 770 lane miles of state highways and patrol nearly 310 lane miles of state highways covered by a municipal contract.

Pavement Rehabilitation

Route 56-North Raquette Road intersection to Route 37

Project included 3.1 miles of paving a true & level and top course of Superpave by contract on this stretch of highway within the Towns of Louisville and Massena. State maintenance forces performed pre-sweeping and shoulder back up operations, along with providing transitions from residential and ommercial driveways and intersections. c

Route 37-Waddington Village to Coles Creek Marina

Project included 4 miles of paving a truing and leveling course and top course of Superpave by contract on Route 37 in the Town of Waddington. State maintenance forces performed pre-sweeping and shoulder back-up operations, along with providing transitions from residential and commercial driveways and intersections. This project included the cooperative work with Bridge Maintenance milling of two bridge decks, resurfacing the decks along with necessary M&PT.

Route 58-Edwardville to Morristown

Project included 4.5 miles of paving a truing and leveling course and top course of Superpave by contract on Route 58 in the Town of Morristown. State maintenance forces performed pre-sweeping and shoulder back up operations, along with providing transitions from residential and commercial driveways and intersections.

Route 58-Gouverneur to Braisie Corners

Project included 9.6 miles of paving a truing and leveling course and top course of Superpave by contract on Route 58 in the Towns of Macomb and Gouverneur. State maintenance forces performed pre-sweeping and shoulder back up operations, along with providing transitions from residential and commercial driveways and intersections.

Route 37-Ogdensburg Arterial Highway

Project included 5.3 miles of paving truing and leveling course and top course of Superpave by contract on Route 37 in the City of Ogdensburg and Town of Oswegatchie. State maintenance forces provided the M&PT and hauling of millings from the bridge approaches along with installing underdrainage for the approaches. Pre-sweeping, milling of rebates, and shoulder backup operations were also completed along with the paving of driveways, intersections and ramps by residency forces.

Route 11C-Winthrop to Brasher

Project included the milling by contract of the entire two hamlets with State Maintenance forces providing M&PT and cleanup before the placement of the Nova Chip pavement product.

Route 812-Village of Heuvelton to Kelly Road intersection

Project included State Maintenance forces resurfacing and providing shoulder back-up to a 3-mile segment of Route 812 in the Town of Oswegatchie.

Route 72-Parishville Center to Chapel Hill

Project included State Maintenance forces resurfacing and providing shoulder back-up on a one-mile segment of Route 72 in the Town of Parishville that had been washed out earlier this year.

Route 11B-Elm Street Potsdam Village

Project included the milling of approximately a half-mile of Elm Street within the Village of Potsdam by contract and our forces provided M&PT, hauled the millings, and resurfaced the segment.

Route 310-Town of Norfolk Route 68-Ogdensburg City

Short segments of these highways were paver patched.

Routine Maintenance

In addition to the Snow and Ice Control and Pavement Rehabilitation Projects, residency crews performed flagging, shoulder cutting, ditching, hydro seeding, sweeping, mowing, catch basin/drainage repair, dead animal removal, sign fabrication/maintenance, tree removal/trimming, and building and grounds activities. We responded to many accident scenes, repaired guiderail, cleaned roadways, provided assistance to other state agencies, etc. Engineering staff and field supervisors reviewed, issued, and inspected approximately 100 Highway Work Permits for Adopt-A-Highway Organizations, Residential/Commercial driveway installations and maintenance, and Annual Maintenance Agreements for Municipalities and Utility contractors.

Safety

Tailgate safety meetings are held on a regular basis, emphasizing the backing policy and high visibility apparel bulletins. We are striving for an accident and injury free workplace.

2004 St. Lawrence County Summary

State Forces Paving - 5 CL miles Vendor Placed Paving - 26.5 CL miles

Milling - 5 CL miles Micro Surfacing - 2 CL miles

Signs - 1,350 each Ditching - 44,000 linear feet

Mowing - 2,500 shoulder miles J Miles - 350,000 lane miles

Deer/Animal Removal - 3000 each Guiderail Repair - 60,800 linear feet Tree Removal/Trimming - 435 each

Grade and Removal Material - 250,000 linear feet Transfer of Equipment - 952 each

Region 7 Bridge Maintenance – 2004 Accomplishments

Region-wide, Bridge Maintenance made repairs for the removal of 15 Structural or Safety flags, thereby reducing the Region’s total to 7 flags involving 4 bridges. Watertown Bridge Shop, Highlights of 2004 Season

Bridge Washing: 114 Bridges Bridge Deck Sealing: 12 Bridges, 137,500 s.f. of deck Rte. 26 over Deer River: Extensive repairs to lower chords of truss. Rte. 184 over Fish Creek: Removal of Safety Flag to repair bridge rail anchorage. Rte. 12E in Limerick: Dry-Pack-It re-pointing of stone arch. Rte. 26 over House Creek in Houseville. Placement of water-proofing membrane and repaving with Jefferson Residency. Rte. 232 over Rte 81 at Rices Rd: Installed new elastomeric joint systems. County Rte. 91 over Rte. 81: Installed new accelerated concrete joint system and made repairs to wingwalls. Rte. 812 in Heuvelton: Repairs to wingwall. Completed installation of water-proofing membrane and paving with Jefferson Residency to bring salt shed on-line. Completed several unscheduled tasks including hanging “No Swimming” signs on the Rte. 12E bridge in Chaumont. Assisted Jefferson and Lewis Residencies with concrete work on a number of culverts.

Malone Bridge Shop, Highlights of 2004 Season:

Bridge Washing: 82 Bridges. Bridge Deck Sealing: 9 Bridges, 67,000 s.f. of deck. Rte. 68, Town of Canton: Yellow Structural Flag, repair of deteriorated concrete bearing pedestal. Route. 37, 3 bridges in the Towns of Waddington and Louisville: 3 joint replacements, deck membrane installation, wearing surface replacement, curb and fascia repair. Rte. 11, Town of Potsdam: 23,000 s.f. of concrete deck grooved. Peru Bridge Shop, Highlights of 2004 Season:

Bridge Washing: 81 Bridges. Bridge Deck Sealing: 10 Bridges, 60,000 s.f. of deck. I87, Town of Champlain: Seismic retrofit, encasement of 2 concrete piers. I87, Town of Champlain: Removal of 8 steel armor angle joints on 2 bridges, replace with elastomeric joint systems, wingwall repairs.

Rte. 22B, Town of Schuyler Falls: Remove asphalt wearing surface, patch concrete deck, repave. Rte. 22, Town of Plattsburgh: Mill asphalt wearing surface and repave. Rte. 9, Town of Peru: Repair fascias of concrete box culvert.

Regional Pavement Marking – 2004 Accomplishments Crew Locations: Malone & Watertown

Painted White Line: 3916 Miles Painted Yellow Line: 3977 Miles

Major preform tape projects completed: Arsenal Street (Rte. 3) VPP project, Watertown, NY; Rte. 11 I-87 to Garrands

Final long-line markings installed on 6 Capital Projects

Installed long-line markings on 100 centerline miles of VPP projects

Installed long-line markings on 18 centerline miles of State Force Paving Projects

Installed hundreds of special markings

Installation time: 31 weeks

Regional Planning & Program Management – 2004 Accomplishments

US/Canadian International Bridge Feasibility Study

The International Bridge Feasibility Study (Thousand Island, Seaway Bridges) being conducted by STANTEC to evaluate crossing delays and international crossing issues is nearing completion. The highlights of the study include:

Thousand Islands • Installation of Queue Warning System on Highway 401. • Expansion of both the U.S. Port and Canadian Port of Entry. • Expansion of toll collection facilities. • Installation of Intelligent Transportation System; Overhead Variable Message Signs, Lane

Designation Signage. • Replacement of bridge deck on the North Channel bridges by 2018. • The south channel bridge will exceed traffic capacity by 2018. The study recommends

replacement of the existing 2-lane bridge with a new 4-lane bridge at an estimated cost of $100 million.

A new border crossing station at Thousand Islands has been slated for construction in 2007. The consultants of Morphosis and Barton & Loguidice have been selected to prepare the design and construction management for the new border station at the Thousand Islands.

Seaway • Cornwall Island Road intersection improvements. • Relocate toll facility south of Canada Customs Facility. Expand both passenger and commercial

booths. • Replace existing 2-lane high level bridge with new 4-lane high level bridge in 2020 +/- at an

estimated cost of $100 million. Canada is going out to contract on the South Channel Bridge in 2005.

A new border crossing station at Seaway has been slated for construction in 2008. The consultants Smith, Miller-Hawkinson Architects have been selected to prepare the design for the Seaway crossings.

Northern Tier Expressway

The North Country Transportation Study is continuing to investigate the implications of the construction of a Northern Tier Expressway between Watertown and Plattsburgh. The next phase of the study will involve refining the recommendations of the North Country Transportation Study into a long-term plan

and implement strategies to guide future investments along the Route 11 corridor. NYSDOT is partnering with Maine DOT and other adjoining states and provinces in evaluating the benefits of multi-jurisdictional east-west transportation connections with economic improvement opportunities.

Port of Excellence (I-87 Champlain)

The Port of Excellence project at Champlain will undergo a major face-lift in 2005 to rebuild the custom facility at the border. The General Service Administration (GSA) has advertised a 45 million dollar Lump Sum Contract to construct a truck staging area, a truck processing center, plus truck inspection booths. Reconstruction of Interstate 87 plus a new export control building and construction of vehicle booths is expected to be under construction in 2006.

Data Services

Nearly 570 total traffic counts were taken in 2004 by the Data Services Group. The group also performed all Regional turning count studies, as well as some vehicle classification studies. Pavement condition ratings were collected for 3,600 lane miles on the Region’s State Touring Route System. Region 7’s average pavement score for 2004 was 6.26 overall down from 6.45 average pavement score in 2003. One hundred and sixty-four (164) local highway municipalities were certified as part of the Annual Local Highway Inventory Update. Data was also collected on approximately one-half of the 188 Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) samples in Region 7.

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

The Project Development Group completed three (3) Expanded Project Proposals, one (1) SSM/FDR, and five (5) IPPs/DADs in 2004.

EPPs: Route 812 over the Oswegatchie River, Heuvelton Village – Bridge Replacement Massena Village – Highway Reconstruction Route 345 over the Big Sucker Brook – Bridge Replacement

SSM/FDRs: Interstate 81 (slip lining) and Route 12 Culvert (New) Repairs

IPPs/DADs: Bridge Maintenance Where and When Signal Improvement Contract Special Pavement Markings Emergency Standby Contract Highway Maintenance Paving by Contract

Currently, the Unit is working on 12 other EPPs and two FDRs. These projects consist of:

Tom Miller Road over I-87 - Bridge Replacement Route 812, Harrisville to Fowler - Highway Rehabilitation/Reconstruction I-81 over Abandoned Railroad - Bridge Removals/Replacements Fort Drum Connector - (Chapter 2) Highway Project Routes 3 & 30 Tupper Lake Village - Highway Project Route 190 Culvert Project - Culvert Replacements Route 11, Beaver & Sperry Brook - Culvert Project (Job Order Contract) Route 12, Lowville to Denmark - Highway Project Canton Village - Highway Project Gouverneur Village - Highway Project Route 11B, St. Law. Co. Line to West Bangor - Highway Project I87 over Delaware & Hudson Railroad - Bridge Replacements I81, Route 3 to Route 342 - Highway Rehabilitation I87, Chazy to the Canadian Border - Highway Resurfacing

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Management Local Programs

Federal Aid Highway/Bridge Program Route 9 and Bridge Street/Saranac River, City of Plattsburgh, Clinton County Project Manager: Dean Gillan Contractor: Luck Brothers Design & Inspection: Stantec Construction Cost: $5.75 M

This 2.9 kilometer project started at the south city line and ended on the west side of the Bridge Street Bridge. The northern portion of the project was completed in 2003 and the southern portion, along with the bridge work, was completed in 2004. The roadway was reconstructed with new curb, sidewalk (a combined bike and pedestrian trail was installed on the east side of the southern portion), storm drainage system, sanitary sewer, water lines, turning lanes, new traffic signals, and a round-a-bout was installed at the intersection of Route 9 and New York Avenue. The project was accepted in November 2004.

Pearl Street over the Black River, City of Watertown, Jefferson County Project Manager: Dean Gillan Contractor: Tuscarora Design & Inspection: Earth Tech Construction Cost: $2.0 M

The original 140’ 2-span structure was replaced with a new single-span bridge with architectural barrier, sidewalk, and ornamental lighting. During construction, an on-site detour (Maybee) bridge was utilized to maintain traffic. The bridge was opened to traffic on December 6, 2004. Top course asphalt, some concrete work, striping, and plantings will be completed in the spring of 2005.

Military Turnpike Extension over Saranac River, Clinton County Project Manager: Dean Gillan Contractor: Harmer’s Inc Design & Inspection: Erdman & Anthony Associates Construction Cost: $750,000

This project replaced the existing 3-span concrete slab structure with a new 85’ single-span pre-stressed concrete superstructure on new abutments, with sidewalk, granite curb and guide rail. Kearney and Chisholm Roads over the Oswegatchie River, St. Lawrence County – 2nd Year Project Manager: Tim Valentine Project Cost: $1.8 M Design: Barton & Loguidice Contractor: Vector The historic (147’) Kearney Road truss was carefully removed, dismantled, rehabilitated, sandblasted, primed and painted for use at the Chisholm Road site. A new steel I-Beam structure was provided at Kearney Road and completed in late Fall 2003. Chisholm Road was completed in the 2004 construction season and received the American Public Works Association (APWA) – Central New York Branch “2004 Historical Project of the Year” Award. In March 2005, the Chisholm Road Bridge project was awarded the Statewide APWA “2004 Historical Project of the Year” Award, which is given to only one bridge in the state a year.

Kearney Road

Existing Structure Replacement Structure Chisholm Road

Existing Structure Replacement Structure

Island Branch Road over the Oswegatchie River, St. Lawrence County Project Manager: Tim Valentine Project Cost: $700,000 Designer: Barton & Loguidice Contractor: Luck Bros.

The single span pony-truss built in 1954 was replaced with a 100’ single span, pre-cast concrete box-beam structure and was completed in November 2004.

Existing Structure Replacement Structure County Route 26 over Black River, Lewis County Project Manager: Anna Forbes Contractor: Tioga Designer & Const. Insp.: Barton & Loguidice Project Cost: $1.9 M

This project replaced a 374 ft. four-span steel multigirder superstructure and rehabilitated the substructures. The superstructure replacement increased the load-carrying capacity and provides a 1.5 m. sidewalk on the north side. Utilizing stage construction, the south side of the structure was replaced in 2003 and the north side was completed in 2004. South Main Street/Black River & Reliant Energy Canal, Jefferson County Project Manager: Nancy Catalina Project Engineers: Barton & Loguidice Inspection: Foit-Albert Contractor: Vector Construction Corp. Construction Cost (w/betterments): $3.1M

This project was let on June 15, 2004. The contract will replace two bridges in the Village of Black River. The 220 ft. thru-girder bridge will be replaced with a two-span steel multi-girder structure. The 76 ft. concrete arch bridge will be replaced with a single-span steel multi-girder structure. The contractor has been able to work through the winter completing the demolition of both bridges and reconstructing the bridge over the canal. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in the fall of 2005.

Special Projects

Cook Road Reconstruction Project Engineers: Camp Dresser & McKee St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Franklin Co. Total Project Construction Cost: $3.7 M Project Manager: Nancy Catalina Phase 1 Project Construction Cost: $1.0 M

This project will reconstruct Cook Road (5.2 km) located on the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation. The Department has funded $250,000 towards design and has committed $1.o M towards construction. The project received Design Approval from Chief Ransom on May 27, 2004. The Tribe has decided to let the project in two phases. Phase one will address drainage issues throughout the project and safety issues associated with the geometrics of the roadway at Suicide Hill and Spaghetti Corners. Phase two will concentrate on final grading and placing the top asphalt layers for the entire length of the project.

Innovative Bridge Research & Construction Discretionary Program

Glendale Road (CR32) over Roaring Brook, Lewis County Project Manager: Anna Forbes Contractor: Lewis Co. Hwy. Dept. Designer & Const. Insp.: C&S Engineers Project Cost: $417,000

A Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) deck was installed over this 66’ span steel multi-girder bridge. While being more expensive than steel or concrete decks initially, its benefit is realized in life cycle cost, ease of installation, and its weight reduction on the structural steel often allowing for the removal of “load posting limits”. The FRP deck panels were placed in 2-1/2 hours by the County’s bridge crew.

Transportation Enhancement Program Canton Heritage Corridor Project Engineers: Barton & Loguidice, P.C. $224,000 Transportation Enhancement Village of Canton, St. Lawrence Co. Funds (80% is reimbursable) Project Manager: Nancy Catalina $195,755 Office of Parks, Recreation and

Historic Preservation The project will enhance the cultural, aesthetic, historic and environmental aspect of intermodal transportation networks in the Village of Canton by:

• Rehabilitating the historic King’s Bowstring Iron Bridge (BIN 2220960) to provide pedestrian access from Coakley Island to Falls Island. The bridge is one of the King’s Iron Bridge Company’s remaining five bowstring bridges constructed in the mid-19th century in existence in New York State.

• Developing a parking area with an information center. • Developing an interpretive trail around the Falls Island Mill ruins and constructing a

scenic overlook at the western cascade waterfalls and a canoe portage. • Designing and installing a new Village entryway sign. • Installing plaques at historically registered sites.

The Village of Canton designated Barton & Loguidice to perform Engineering Services. It is anticipated that the project will be let to construction in the summer of 2006. Village of Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County Project Manager: Anna Forbes Project Cost: $1.22 M

This project provides a pedestrian and bicycle trail within the Village of Gouverneur and constructs a pedestrian bridge across the Oswegatchie River to connect the Community Recreational Center and the Village Park. This project remains in the Design Phase and is scheduled to start construction in 2005. Village of Cape Vincent, Waterfront Park Preservation Plan Project Manager: Anna Forbes Project Cost: $288,000

This project will preserve an abandoned rail line by constructing a pedestrian and bicycle trail along the St. Lawrence River. A Welcome Center will visually and verbally describe the historic interconnection between the railroad, shipping industry and highway transportation. This project is finalizing design and will start construction in 2005.

Downtown Watertown Streetscape Enhancement Project City of Watertown, Jefferson County Project Engineers: Clough, Harbour & Associates Project Manager: Nancy Catalina Project Estimated Cost: $4.6 M

$ 1,375,000 - Transportation Enhancement Funds (80% reimbursable) $ 350,000 - CHIPS (Consolidated Highway Improvement Program) $ 300,000 - NYS State Multi-Modal Program Senator Wright $ 100,000 - CCAP (Community Capital Assistance Program) Senator Wright $ 500,000 - CCAP (Community Enhancement Facilities Program) Assemblyman Aubertine $ 25,000 - Empire State Development Corp Main Street New York Funding $1,975,000 - City of Watertown

The TEA-21 funding portion of the project will improve the appearance of the Public Square -Transportation Corridor, as well as improve access to the Black River by:

• Enhancing the center island by implementing streetscaping improvements • Replacing street lighting • Adding street amenities • Improving sidewalks, and • Developing a bike/pedestrian linkage to the Veterans Memorial Riverwalk and the Coffeen Street

Bike Trail As the project developed, it became evident that it would be necessary to address underground deficiencies before applying the streetscaping amenities. The expanded project scope includes the following elements:

• New asphalt paving throughout the entire project area. • Sidewalk replacement between paver planting strip and building fronts. • Fill/or repair of various sidewalk vaults to alleviate structural deficiencies.

• Waterline Replacement. • Minor storm drainage replacement.

It is anticipated that the project will be under construction in the summer of 2005.

Industrial Access Program (IAP)

Fort Drum Railroad Sidings Coordinator: Anna Forbes and Dan Kelly Sponsor: Jefferson Co. Industrial Dev. Agency (JCIDA) Project Cost: $2.57 M

This project includes construction of two new railroad storage tracks adjacent to the existing rail line. The tracks will provide adequate storage capacity to handle up to 100 rail cars. The extra storage capacity will improve operational efficiency at Fort Drum during deployment activities. Construction is expected to begin in 2005.

Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS)

Coordinators: Jim Forbes and Dave Powell

In 2004, the Region reimbursed 16.5 million dollars of CHIPS funds. Within Region 7, there were 162 municipalities that participated in the program for reimbursement for the construction, rehabilitation, resurfacing of highways and bridges. As part of the Department’s outreach, Regional CHIPS coordinators attended numerous local highway superintendent meetings to assist in program administration, trained new superintendents and provided on-site consultation regarding construction techniques. Also, as a quality initiative, post-CHIPS construction inspections were conducted in many towns and counties.

Nancy Catalina was appointed to manage the CHIPS Program in 2005 and is in the process of taking over Jim Forbes’ responsibilities prior to his retirement.

Multi-Modal Program Coordinator: Dean Gillan

Sixteen (16) localities received 1.7 million dollars in funding under this program in 2004 to improve a variety of Multi-Modal characteristics associated with their transportation system. The Region also partnered with CP Rail and Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority in a 2 million dollar upgrade of their rail systems. The Multi-Modal Program is an active program with new projects being added all the time.

Member Item Program Coordinator: Dean Gillan

This program administers Legislative Grant monies to localities and agencies, such as the Seaway Trail, which receives its operating expenses through this program. In 2005, $0.800 M of funding will be available to the City of Watertown for the Public Square Streetscape project and Clinton County for the construction of the Cumberland Head Connector Road.

Transportation and Community System Preservation Program

Coordinator: Dean Gillan

This is a Federal Program similar to the State Member Item Program. The Village of Clayton has been granted $0.250 M under the TCSP Program to turn the former Frink property along the St. Lawrence River into the Frink Park. This is part of a much larger project that is being referred to as the 1000 Islands Regional Dock. The Village is working towards design completion and anticipates going to construction in 2005.

Transit Program Coordinator: Dean Gillan

Watertown’s $4.5 M bus storage and transit facility is nearing completion. The project includes a new bus garage and office for the City Bus Line, a shared-use maintenance facility that is the model for future facilities around the country. The transit offices are expected to open at the end of February or early March and the maintenance facility will be completed by May 2005. The new passenger transfer station at the corner of Arsenal and Arcade Streets opened to passengers with a Dedication Ceremony on January 26, 2005.

The Federal Transit Administration has just approved the money to design and construct a new $1.4 M transit office and storage facility for Clinton Area Rural Transit (CART) on the former Plattsburgh Air Base. The consulting firm of Barton & Loguidice has been designated as the design architectural firm with construction anticipated to begin in early 2006.

Aviation

Coordinator: Nancy Catalina

Region 7 works with eight (8) different airports throughout the Region to provide funding for infrastructure improvements. Multiple projects were progressed in 2004 which included security enhancement, runway reconstruction, runway extensions, runway safety area improvements, environmental assessment including drainage study and development of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), runway lighting replacement, apron expansions, weather equipment replacement and navigational aids.

• Watertown International Airport $3.134 m • Potsdam Municipal/Damon Field $0.840 m • Plattsburgh International Airport $4.736 m • Ogdensburg International Airport $0.120 m • Adirondack International Airport $3.025 m • Clinton County Airport $0.746 m • Malone-Dufort Airport $0.179 m • Massena International-Richards Field $3.693 m

Railroads

Coordinator: Dan Kelly

Key areas of focus in 2004:

• Bluff Point Rail Yard and Plattsburgh Airbase Transshipping Facility:

This project is creating a safe and modern rail yard which provides opportunities for interchange between rail and truck and better addresses Plattsburgh’s freight needs. The project is being developed so Plattsburgh may provide a world-class convention center on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Existing Rail Yard Facility in the City of Plattsburgh was relocated to Bluff Point Yard in the Town of Plattsburgh, Clinton County, with a Road to Rail Transshipping Facility on the Former Air Force Base.

The Bluff Point Project was developed with historical awareness to protect sensitive areas. Total construction cost expended on the project in 2004 was $2.75million.

• Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority Grade Crossing Improvement Projects:

This project enhanced highway and railroad safety by providing durable railroad crossing surfaces and automatic warning devices at ten (10) of the most hazardous railroad crossings of the New York & Ogdensburg Railroad. Total construction cost was to $2.0 million.

Regional Design Group – 2004 Accomplishments

Projects Recently Designed

Rte. 11 Sanfordville to Stockholm Center (PIN 714324) Designers / Squad Leader: Mike Duell / John Disbro (& Dave Moffatt)

This project will rehabilitate Rte. 11 from Sanfordville to Stockholm Center. The pavement rehabilitation treatment will be cold-in-place recycling of the travel lanes, shoulder reconstruction and full-width resurfacing. Three short reconstruction areas are also included. Drainage will be improved via deeper ditches, new cross pipes (and a pre-cast box culvert) and edge drains where feasible. This project was let on 10/21/04 to Barrett Paving Materials for ~$2.9 million. Work began this spring and is expected to be completed by this fall.

Rte. 3, Floral Drive to Sam’s Club Entrance (PIN 711508) Designers / Squad Leader: Ron Duford (& Mike McCullouch) / Dave Moffatt

This project will reconstruct Route 3 from near the Hounsfield/Watertown town line to near the eastern BOCES entrance. The roadway will be fully reconstructed with wider shoulders and roadside ditches. The western BOCES entrance will be realigned Floral Drive forming a single intersection with Rte. 3. Dedicated left turn bays, wider radii and closed drainage at Floral Drive will improve the safety and operational characteristics of this intersection. In addition to the road work, three buildings east of I-81 will be removed in preparation for the Arsenal Street/I-81 project. A shared driveway between Key Bank and Hannaford also will be built to improve traffic flow. The project was let on 3/31/05 to Barrett Paving Materials for ~$2.4 million. Work has begun and is expected to be completed by this fall.

Rte. 72, Parishville Center/Parishville & Bridge Rehab: Rte 72/St. Regis River (PIN 778004) Designers / Squad Leader: Bill LaSage / Mike Fayette (highway) Shane Perkins / Jeff Grill (bridge)

This project will fully reconstruct Rte. 72 from Parishville Center to Parishville and rehabilitate the bridge in Parishville. Significant horizontal and vertical realignments along with wider shoulders will improve the sight distances and highway geometry along this segment of roadway. Drainage facilities will be improved, including several large pre-cast concrete culverts. Several intersecting roads will be realigned to improve sight distances onto Rte. 72. The bridge in Parishville will receive a new concrete bridge deck via staged construction. This project was let on 4/7/05 to Rifenburg Construction for ~$5.3 million. Work is expected to begin this summer and be completed by next summer.

Traffic Signal Improvements (PIN 780428)

This project will rehabilitate existing traffic signal systems at various locations in the region. This project was let on 4/21/05 and Power Line Constructors, Inc. was apparent low bidder at ~$0.2 million. This two year contract is expected to begin this summer and be completed by the summer of 2007.

Special Pavement Markings (PIN 780427) Designers / Squad Leader: Russ Currier / Aaron Docteur

This project will install permanent pavement markings throughout the region. This project was let on 4/21/05 and Accent Stripe, Inc was apparent low bidder at ~$0.2 million. Work is expected to begin this summer and be completed by this fall.

Rte. 11 & 177, Adams Center (PIN 714326) Designers / Squad Leader: Bob Townsend (& assistance from other squads*) / Kevin Eager *with Dave Moffatt designing the drainage and evaluating the SPDES requirements.

This project will rehabilitate Rte. 11 and reconstruct Rte. 177 within the hamlet of Adams Center. The rehabilitation treatment will be to mill and overlay the existing concrete pavement on Rte. 11 and replace the drainage facilities, curb and sidewalk. A large culvert will be replaced near North Street. Rte. 177 will be fully reconstructed and have new drainage, curb and sidewalk. The main intersection (with Rte. 11) will be realigned such that the two legs of Rte. 177 are no longer offset. Three homes and an old fire station will be removed to improve the alignment of the intersection. The at-grade railroad crossing on Rte. 177 will be reconstructed. Stormwater devices and other features have been incorporated into the project to meet SPDES requirements. This project was let on 5/5/05 and Barrett Paving Materials was the apparent low bidder at ~$5.5 million. Work is expected to begin this summer and be completed next fall.

Bridge Painting (PIN 780425) Designers / Squad Leader: Jeff Lyng / John Disbro

Multiple bridges will be cleaned and painted at five locations throughout St. Lawrence & Franklin Counties. The project is scheduled for a 6/9/05 letting. Work is expected to begin this summer and be completed by this fall.

Crack Sealing (PIN 780453) Designers / Squad Leader: Brad Poore / Aaron Docteur

This project will clean and seal pavement cracks at multiple locations throughout the region. The project is scheduled for a 6/9/05 letting. Work is expected to begin this summer and be completed next summer.

Emergency Standby Contract (PIN 780403)

This contact puts a contractor on-call and sets aside items of work to be used in case of an emergency. This two year contract will be let on 7/7/05 and will be active until the fall of 2007.

Job Order Contract (PIN 780459)

This contract is a general “where and when” type of contract that will allow the region to do various maintenance type of work throughout the region. This two year contract will be let on 7/7/05 and will be active until the fall of 2007.

Upcoming Projects in Design

The following projects are in final design and the bidding documents should be completed within the next year. Questions can be directed to the project designers in the regional design group.

• Rte. 12 over the Deer River, Copenhagen (PIN 701649) • Rte. 12, Lowville Village to Bush Rd (PIN 701659) • Rte. I81, Rte 3 to Rte 342 (PIN 750078) • Rte. 30 Ski Tow Rd to Tupper Lake (PIN 704428)

Fort Drum Connector (I-81 to Rte. 11) Project

The Fort Drum Connector Project is one of the most significant projects Region 7 has undertaken. It is significant not only in terms of construction cost ($45 - 60 million), but in its role in supporting Fort Drum.

The primary focus of the project is to service the growing traffic needs between Rte. 81 and Fort Drum as well as enhance the economic and strategic viability of the Fort Drum Army Base.

Over the course of the last year, the regional staff has progressed design from a conceptual phase of three broad corridors to 19 possible alignments and then culled those to 3-4 specific alternative alignments. As we went through this process, we held 2 public meetings, 5 stakeholders meetings and other outreach methods to seek out ideas, comments, and gather facts. Based on this input and other data, we analyzed each of the alignments for impacts and benefits to determine the best selections to retain. We now have 3-4 specific alternatives that we will investigate further.

This summer, our environmental consultant, Lochner Engineering, along with their subconsultants (Shumaker Consulting & Land Surveying, Bryant Associates and Hartgen Archeological Associates), will perform field surveys to identify environmental assets (i.e. wetland, archeological artifacts, historic structures, etc.) along these alignments.

We will continue to collect information on traffic issues, developments, local plans and other pertinent issues that are important to this selection. As we receive this information and the environmental data, we will begin to evaluate the remaining alternatives to determine a preferred alternative.

As part of our public outreach, we will continue to hold stakeholders meetings and public meetings to gather information, promote discussion and keep the public apprised of the project details.

We encourage anyone interested in this project to visit the project website (listed below). We also want to hear your comments. Feel free to send an e-mail, write, call, or stop by our office.

Contact: Robert H. Curtis, P.E., Regional Design Engineer Website: www.fdconnector.com E-mail: fdconnector@dot.ny.state.ny.usTelephone: (315) 785-2336 Address: Dulles State Office Building

317 Washington Street Watertown, NY 13601

Mission Statement It is the mission of the New York State Department of Transportation to ensure our customers - those who live, work and travel in New York State -- have a safe, efficient, balanced and environmentally sound transportation system.