More than a year after the installation of a flashing signal warning of a stop sign ahead, and more than three years after the death of Gardiner firefighter George Airday in a car/motorcycle collision, a four-way traffic light has finally been installed at the intersection of Route 44/55 and Bruynswick Road (County Route 7). A crew from Power Line Constructors, Inc. of Clinton began erecting the poles during the first week in September. According to one crew member, the first phase of work was expected to be completed this week, although the lights may not be fully functional until October. Installation of signage, bollards and sidewalks will follow the hanging of the traffic lights.
A 2021 countywide Road Safety Analysis study designated the intersection, known locally as Benton Corners, as the most dangerous two-lane rural road junction in all of Ulster County. While he was not the first motorcyclist to lose his life there, the outcry over Airday’s death sparked a campaign by local residents and officials urging the New York State Department of Transportation to take action to mitigate the safety hazard. Most of the collisions at Benton Corners have been attributed to eastbound motorists picking up speed coming downhill from the Shawangunk Ridge. A bend in 44/55 shortly before the intersection limits the visibility of traffic on Bruynswick Road.
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