VI.G - Transportation - Draft #4 - somersny.com

Town of Somers Comprehensive Master Plan Update Transportation

Transportation

Highways

A review was undertaken for all New York State highways within the Town of Somers.
The objective of the review was to identify traffic volumes on the major roadways,
review historical growth trends and project future traffic volumes for Year 2010. In
addition, a review of Westchester County highways within the Town of Somers has been
conducted; however, this study is
limited to a review of the most
recent traffic conditions since
historical data is not readily
available. Information on local
roads is principally abstracted from
comments and discussions with
residents and officials since detailed
traffic information is not presently
available.

View Along Mahopac Avenue

U.S. Highway, New York State Highway and Westchester County Roadway Networks
The major roadway network within the Town of Somers includes two U.S. Highways, six
roadways designated as New York State Highways, and two roadways designated as
Westchester County Highways. The designation indicates that these highways and their
rights-of-way are managed by the New York State Department of Transportation
(NYSDOT) or the Westchester County Department of Public Works (WCDPW). These
entities are responsible for the operation, maintenance and repair of the roadways. The
New York State and Westchester County Highways within the Town of Somers are
identified as follows:

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• N.Y. Route 35 (Amawalk Road/Woods Bridge Road).

• N.Y. Route 100 (Somerstown Road).

• N.Y. Route 116 (Purdys Road).

• N.Y. Route 118 (Tomahawk Street).

• N.Y. Route 138 (Goldens Bridge Road).

• N.Y. Route 139 (Primrose Street).

• U.S. Route 6 (Birdsall Road).

• U.S. Route 202 (Saw Mill River Road/Lincolndale Road/Somers Road).

• County Route 136 (Mahopac Avenue/Croton Falls Road).

• County Route 137 (Daisy Lane).
Figure VI.G-1 identifies the location and classification of the New York State and
Westchester County Highways in the Town of Somers. All other roadways in Town are
the responsibility of the Town of Somers Highway Department with the exception of
private roads.

Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
As part of annual effort, the NYSDOT collects, summarizes and interprets information on
the volume of traffic traveling the State’s highway system. Traffic counts are roadway
devices, which are converted to estimated Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)
volumes by applying factors derived from vehicle classification data and seasonal data
developed from weekday observations obtained at the count locations.

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Annual Average Daily Traffic data represents the number of vehicles traveling over a
designated section of highway. The data is used to assess transportation needs and
develop highway planning and programming recommendations.

Traffic data for current and previous AADTs are presented in the 2003 Traffic Volume
Report, prepared by the NYSDOT Highway Data Service Bureau, published June 2004.

The WCDPW conducts a similar data collection effort for the County routes as well as
other major roadways within the Town of Somers. This data is available online at the
WCDPW home page at www.westchestergov.com. Only the most recent data collection
efforts are presented; previous traffic counts are not available.

The most recent counts available from the NYSDOT and the WCDPW are presented in
Figure VI.G-2. As indicated by the graphic illustration, the roadway segment carrying
the highest volume of Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) is N.Y. Route 35 from
N.Y. Route 100 to Cherry Street at 29,530 AADT. The second highest segment is U.S.
Route 6 at 18,100 AADT. This segment is located in the northwest corner of the Town
and extends from the Yorktown town line to the Putnam County line. The next two
highest roadway segments involve the intersection of N.Y. Route 35 and N.Y. Route 100.
N.Y. Route 35, from N.Y. Route 118 to N.Y. Route 100, carries an AADT of 17,247 and
N.Y. Route 100, from N.Y. Route 139 to N.Y. Route 35, carries an AADT of 16,785.
Therefore, three of the four busiest roadway segments in the Town involve travel through
the N.Y. Route 35 and N.Y. Route 100 intersection.

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Average Annual Growth Rates
An average annual growth rate was calculated based on a review of historical traffic data
for the 10-year period, 1993 to 2003. Figure VI.G-3 presents projected growth rates for
New York State highway segments based on a review of historical data. Included as part
of the growth rate calculations is the traffic projection made by the NYSDOT for Year
2003. The average annual growth rates were reviewed and adjusted based on engineering
judgment to remove anomalies in the data.

Typically, an average annual growth rate for a state highway would fall in the range of
1.5 to 2.5 percent. A growth rate in excess of 3.0 percent would be considered a high rate
of growth. As indicated on Figure VI.G-4, the roadway segments projected to experience
growth rates in excess of 3.0 percent through 2010 involve N.Y. Route 35, N.Y. Route
100, N.Y. Route 139 and U.S. Route 202. The specific roadway segments and projected
growth rates are presented as follows:

• 3.9% – N.Y. Route 35, from N.Y. Route 118 to N.Y. Route 100.
• 3.7% - U.S. Route 202, from N.Y. Route 118 to N.Y. Route 139.
• 3.7% - U.S. Route 139, from N.Y. Route 100 to U.S. Route 202.
• 3.2% – N.Y. Route 100, from N.Y. Route 139 to N.Y. Route 138.
• 3.1% - U.S. Route 202, from N.Y. Route 22 to Putnam County Line.
• 3.0% - U.S. Route 35, from N.Y. Route 100 to Cherry Street.

These growth rates are limited to historical trends and do not take into account other
factors such as future development potential within the corridor; however, the
information is useful to identify those roadway segments experiencing high rates of
growth and to project future traffic volumes should these growth trends continue. Traffic

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. VI.G-8

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projections for Year 2010 for each Highway segment, based on the average annual
growth rates previously discussed, are presented in Figure VI.G-4.

What does this mean for Somers? Traffic will continue to grow, particularly on the
segments with the strongest historical growth, but as the amount of developable land
continues to decrease, the rate of growth will begin to slow. Individual factors include the
utilization of the office complexes constructed by Pepsico and IBM. Should corporations
leave Somers, there may be a short-term reduction in traffic, but there also appears to be
no shortage of new companies seeking to relocate to quality office developments. The
IBM facility has actually increased traffic to its site by imposing new office occupancy
standards that significantly increased the overall number of people on site by requiring
sharing of offices originally designed for single occupancy. This required the
construction of additional parking facilities on that site. While the current tenants
occupying the complex originally constructed by Pepsico are not known, changed
occupancy standards for companies housed in that facility could increase the number of
employees and cause additional traffic generation. However, no parking shortage was
evident on this site based upon recent observations. These sites are located over or in
close proximity to critical water resources such as the Groundwater Protection Overlay
District and New York City reservoirs. These conditions may limit the amount of
additional development that could be accommodated on those sites in the future.

Bridges
With the plethora of water bodies and wetlands in Somers, bridges are essential. The
majority of the bridges are in acceptable condition. However, there are two bridges that
have been closed to traffic due to their deteriorated condition in Somers. Both bridges are
of similar construction and vintage, and are owned by the New York State Department of
Environmental Protection. The first is Deans Bridge located in the northeast corner of
Somers over the upper section of the New Croton Reservoir. This bridge will be
demolished and will not be rebuilt. There are safety issues with the approach road from

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the east that would have to be overcome, including an on-grade railroad crossing that
prevents the practical reopening of the road. As the following picture demonstrates, the
bridge is narrow and has been fenced off.

The second bridge is the Plum Brook
Bridge which will be demolished and
replaced with a new bridge. According to
the Town Engineer, the NYSDEC is

currently seeking wetlands permits to
demolish the old structure and plans for the
new bridge will follow. This will facilitate
east-and westbound traffic from Interstate
684 by providing a more direct link for southbound vehicles on Route 100. Currently, all
traffic to N.Y. Route 100 southbound must use N.Y. Route 138.

Accident Analysis
Summary data on accidents was obtained from the NYSDOT for the latest available
three-year period covering from June 1999 to May 2002. Data was obtained for N.Y.
Route 139, N.Y. Route 138, N.Y. Route 118, N.Y. Route 116, N.Y. Route 100, N.Y.
Route 35, U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 202. In terms of the total number of accidents on
these highways, three highways stand out. U.S. Route 202 had the highest total with 354
accidents, followed by N.Y. Route 100 with 352 accidents, and N.Y. Route 35 with 298
accidents. Table VI.G-1 below provides a summary of the accident totals by highway.

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Table VI.G-1
Number of Accidents by Roadway

Route Number
Total Number
Fatalities
Injuries
Property Damage only
Wet Road
Fixed Object
Pedestrian/Bike
Truck
Dawn/Dusk
Day
Night

139 130 0 38 53 20 20 0 5 3 55 22
138 69
118 97 0 21 31 9 2 0 4 2 30 8
116 49
100 0 26 34 3 11 1 2 2 20 19
35 352
6 298 0 16 23 8 5 0 1 2 23 8
202 144
TOTAL 354 2 107 147 52 27 2 22 10 161 54
1,493
1 114 112 62 70 0 15 6 138 57

0 51 48 31 12 0 9 2 69 22

1 97 146 61 41 2 9 13 153 50

4 470 594 246 188 5 67 40 649 240

During this time period, there were four separate accidents resulting in fatalities  all
occurring on the busiest highways. Wet roads and night conditions were involved in over
16% of reported accidents. Accidents involving trucks accounted for 4.5% of the total.
N.Y. Routes 100, 202 and 35 accounted for over two-thirds of the reported accidents.
The detailed breakdown of accidents on these roadways shows that the majority of
accidents on these roads occurred near intersections with other major roads. For
example, there were 46 accidents at the intersection of N.Y. Routes 100 and 35. There
were 29 accidents at the intersection of N.Y. Routes 100 and 139; 35 accidents at the
intersection of N.Y. Routes 100 and 138, and 18 accidents at the intersection of N.Y.
Route 100 and U.S. Route 202. Figure VI.G-5 depicts the location of accidents and the
number associated with that location.

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The number of accidents involving bicycles or pedestrians is low as a percentage of the
total with five incidents occurring over the three recorded years, or approximately one
third of one percent.

Table VI.G-2 below summarizes data on intersections where more than five (5) accidents
occurred over the three-year period of study.

Table VI.G-2

Intersections With More Than 5 Accidents

ROAD INTERSECTION NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS

N.Y. Route 139 N.Y. Route 100 29

N.Y. Route 138 Plum Brook Road 9
N.Y. Route 118
N.Y. Route 116 Primrose Drive 7
N.Y. Route 100
U.S. Route 202 10
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 202 N.Y. Route 100 35

N.Y. Route 35 U.S. Route 202 9

Overhill Road 8

U.S. Route 202 16

Moseman Avenue 8

N.Y. Route 35 46

Plum Brook Road 8

U.S. Route 202 18

Mahopac Avenue 24

Lovell Street 16

Brick Hill Road 7

Warren Street 11

Old Croton Falls Road 10

Quaker Church Road 15

Pines Bridge Road 11

Lake Road 11

Orchard Road 5

Van Rensselaer Road 12

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Conversations with Chief Byrnes indicate that the three most dangerous locations for
accidents in the town are N.Y. Route 139 and Route 100, N.Y. Route 100 and Moseman
Avenue, and at the curve on U.S. Route 202 near Miller Avenue where 2 fatalities have
occurred alone this year.

Local Roads
Road repaving funds, stormwater facilities and the rising costs of equipment, salt and fuel
are the primary challenges facing the Town Highway Department according to Thomas
Chiaverini, Superintendent of Highways. In addition, the need for a new structure has
been identified for the mixing of the brine solution that is currently used to minimize the
amount of salt that is applied to local roadways during the winter. Any movement to use
more expensive salt replacement products would require additional budget allocations.

NYSDOT Planned Improvements
A review was conducted of the NYSDOT 2005-2010 Capital Program to determine
planned improvements to highways or bridges in the Town of Somers. No projects were
identified under the Rebuild and Renew New York Transportation Bond Act of 2005. In
the 005-2010 NYSDOT Transportation Program MOU, “Route 100/Plumbrook”
rehabilitation project was listed. This project is shown in Table VI.G-3 below.

Table VI.G-3

NYSDOT Planned Improvements

Project Work Type Year $ Million County Pin number
Route 100/Plumb Brook Westchester 802231
Rehabilitate Eng. only 0.3

There are no other projects planned by the NYSDOT within Somers.

Public Transportation
When viewing available public transit facilities in Somers, one would almost think that
the intent of the mass transit providers was to avoid the Town of Somers. Although there

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is bus and rail service available to Somers residents, no public service to either bus or rail
links exists. The Town of Somers is without service to the available transit hubs. (See
Figure VI.G-6). Contrary to the conclusions of the Bee-Line System Executive Summary
Report that stated that there were “no obvious missing links,” clearly there are missing
links. The report goes on to state that “there are some parts of the County where there is
little service, and others where even local trips require transfers.” The system has routes
that stop along U.S. Route 6 headed towards the Hudson River rail lines, but there are no
feeder routes from Somers. Likewise, although Somers residents can access rail lines
that are parallel to the west side of Interstate 684, there is no public bus service to any of
the four train stations. The nearest rail stations include Croton Falls, Purdy’s, Golden’s
Bridge and Katonah. Additional studies need to be undertaken to determine the demand
for feeder bus service from the Bee-Line System to the rail service or possibly for express
bus service to downtown White Plains and New York City. Such a study should be
completed with the cooperation of the Westchester County Department of Transportation.

The Westchester County Department of Transportation groups its Bee-Line services into
three types: local, express and commuter. Its route structure is based upon the historic
demands reflecting traditional commuting times and travel patterns. Noting the gradual
shift of population in Westchester County from densely populated southern communities
to lower density areas in the mid-and north-County areas, lower productivity and higher
operating costs have combined to limit services. Senior citizens may use the Town’s
Senior Citizen Bus for transportation to scheduled activities such as the Senior Citizens
Club weekly meeting, shopping and senior activities. The Senior Nutrition Program also
has a bus to transport seniors to lunch Monday through Friday at the Town’s Nutrition
Center. The only other shuttle type bus service available to Somers’ residents is provided
by Heritage Hills, which provides jitney bus service for its residents to the Somers Towne
shopping center and to the Goldens Bridge train station. This service is funded through
the common charges paid by the residents of Heritage Hills, which also finances the cost
of complimentary taxi service from the Croton Falls Station when the jitney bus is not

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running. This service could be replicated or supported for other residents with financing
provided by the Westchester County Department of Transportation as one method of
funding a feeder service without actually having to provide the equipment or personnel to
run the service. It is recommended that the Town seek participation from Westchester
County in this program for its residents. The closest bus service is the Route 16 bus
which begins at Baldwin Place, connecting to Yorktown and to White Plains. Although
property taxes paid to the County offset expenditures of $89 million for the Bee-Line Bus
services and $22 million in payments to Metro-North Railroad, Somers receives little or
no service for its tax contributions. It appears that this is not uncommon in Somers,
where County taxes fund programs that do not specifically serve Somers residents. (See
Public Facilities and Water Resources)

What are the opportunities and challenges to providing Somers with missing transit
services and links? First, sufficiently dense population centers with mass transit patrons
need to exist to facilitate interest. In particular, the proposals for higher density housing
in the hamlet centers could best support transit connections. By locating these
developments on or near major or collector roads, it may be possible to generate
sufficient demand to support public transit service in these population centers. Second,
new information needs to be generated to determine feasibility and potential ridership.
Third, the Town could offer to pay a portion of the service costs to attract both ridership
and service. Fourth, coordinated bus stops and facilities need to be provided with
ancillary services for newspapers, food, etc. to make the service more attractive and
friendly with additional sources of revenue to support the operations. Fifth, the Town
should consider requesting additional updated studies to determine demand where it is
believed that new service may be justified.

The 2002 Executive Summary Analysis of the Bee-Line System included potential for
new services including circulator routes, commuter routes, neighborhood service routes
and shuttle routes. It posed the opportunity for new service types as well, but states that

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“if sufficient ridership does not develop, the service will be terminated unless there is
outside financial support.” Such outside financial support could come from local
corporate contributions or from local government organizations such as affordable
housing agencies.

Intra-Somers Transit
With the appeal of Somers to senior citizens and with the focus on providing affordable
housing, there will be a growing need for transit services to both local shopping areas and
as shuttle service to the commuter rail and bus lines. The availability of shuttle services
between traditional neighborhood developments and bus and rail facilities will be a key
component to minimizing the automobile parking at the stations and in the Traditional
Neighborhood Developments, the creation of which this Plan supports as discussed
elsewhere in this report.

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Additional Transportation Issues

[NOTE TO MPC: The following concepts will be addressed in more detail following
additional research and discussion.]

• Traffic Calming Actions – All of the hamlets need to provide traffic calming so
that pedestrians and bicycles can move safely and efficiently. The Town should
work with the NYSDOT to implement these solutions – particularly in the Somers
Hamlet.

• East-west cross traffic – A number of local roads are being used as “shortcuts”
when primary roads are clogged. The tendency is for these drivers to exceed speed
limits in order to make up time. This can best be managed with constant and
continued enforcement of the speed limits, the limiting factor being the number of
available police officers for enforcement

• Truck Traffic – The Town is planning to undertake a new study regarding truck
traffic on selected roads. Again, the issue is the size of the trucks on local roads
and the speed at which these trucks travel on local roads. The best solution for
this problem is traffic calming with enforcement of speed regulations

• Highway Drainage – The Town Highway Department is committed to the process
of using rip-rap, where appropriate, instead of paved culverts to minimize erosion.
The Highway Department has raised a concern with the use of rip-rap to allow
greater infiltration into the ground as it may be linked to faster roadway
deterioration from freeze and thaw cyclesparticularly on older roadways that
may not have been constructed with sufficient base courses. The Town Highway
Department no longer uses sand to mix in with salt because of the potential
problems with clogging detention and retention basins. The Superintendent of
Highways reports a marked decrease in the amount of sand in the basins over the
last few years. A vendor has been hired to create a map of all of the drainage
facilities along the Town highways and this will enable accurate monitoring,

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