Traffic signal not so temporary on 17B

Culvert replacement work to delay traffic one more month

By LISA CUTRONI

MONTICELLO, NY — Residents will have to endure traffic delays on state Route 17B for at least another month before a construction project is completed.

The replacement of a culvert pipe in front of Brookside Mobile Home Sales won’t be finished for at least four more weeks, Eric Clouse, a project manager for Rhombus Enterprises of Nanuet, said last week. Rhombus is replacing the old culvert pipe with pre-cast concrete units.

Clouse said recent weather conditions delayed the project. “There have been some heavy rains, but we’ve had a nice stretch of weather this week that allowed us to get a lot done,” he said.

Since the project began in mid-September, a red light has been delaying east- and westbound traffic as drivers wait to pass the single lane. The second half of the replacement work was scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded Rhombus the contract for the work in March. Initially, a $1.123-million project consisted of two sites, but the contract was expanded to include culvert work in both White Lake and Jeffersonville. A current cost estimate was not available.

Clouse said flooding and other damaging water incidents convinced the DOT to replace the culvert by Brookside’s property. The Jeffersonville culvert has been replaced, and the White Lake project is tentatively scheduled to begin in two weeks if the weather holds up. That project should take about six weeks.

“If it gets colder, we may have to start it in the spring,” Clouse said.