Full stop
The Kingston Common Council has voted to make several city intersections into all-way stops. The intersections covered are the ones at Dunn and Abeel streets, Dunn and Rodney streets, and Wilbur Avenue at Davis Street. Some of the signs already in place didn’t have the force of law behind them, meaning that a driver could have gotten a ticket dismissed. The southbound stop sign on Wilbur Avenue at Dunn Street is also being removed.
Wilbur Avenue and Abeel Street are Route 213 in this area, and it was a request to remove the southbound stop sign at Dunn Street that prompted all the changes. Reviewing that request, the city engineer flagged those signs that had no law supporting their presence, and recommended a few others to keep traffic moving safely through one of the several “non-standard” intersections in Kingston. These changes are expected to make the drive a bit safer.
Trail honor deferred
A bid to have a portion of the Kingston rail-trail dedicated to a resident who died fighting the Vietnam War has been referred to committee. The request was made by state assemblyperson Kevin Cahill on behalf of Charles W. Johnson, an army staff sergeant who was the first city resident to die in that conflict. The portion of the trail Cahill would like named is described in the letter as being “between Delaware Avenue, alongside Murray Street and in front of Rondout Gardens Street.”
The public service/general government committee indicated it is in favor of the measure, but alderman Tony Davis asked it be referred to the parks and recreation committee prior to action in the common council. Davis’ motion passed, eight to zero.
Save the Elmendorf
Work to repair or replace the Elmendorf Street bridge has begun. Crossing the midtown railroad tracks, the bridge — believed to be more than a century old — was closed to all traffic on July 20 when inspectors discovered during routine paving work that the beams were in bad shape. It’s believed it would cost $700,000 to fix the bridge’s problems, and at the common council meeting on September 1 it was agreed to borrow the first $75,000. That money will be just for determining whether repair or replacement is preferred, and designing the plans to move ahead.
The design work should take a month or two, and city engineer John Schultheis has estimated that the bridge won’t be available again until some point during 2021.
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