Sidewalk work in Burdett will improve pedestrian safety

BURDETT--Work has begun by the state Department of Transportation to upgrade the sidewalks along Route 79 in a project that village officials hope will eventually lead to residents being able to walk the entire village safely on a sidewalk. Work crews have diverged traffic by using shoulder access and single lanes where needed and are expected to finish the upgrades this fall.
"Standards have changed, so some areas need to be widened, more crosswalks have to be put on and driveway encroachments need to be changed," said Dale Walter, mayor of Burdett. "What I am very happy about is that they will finish the sidewalk from the post office all the way up to the businesses by the old railroad tracks."
Walter added the sidewalk is being extended farther than it ever has been before.
"There is another project coming through in the next few years where they will resurface and redo part of Route 79 through the village, and at that time they will put up a sidewalk where this one stops... so any village resident could walk from one end of the village all the way to the other end of the village without having to be in the roadway at all," said Walter.
As to traffic flow during construction, Walter said crews have done a very good job of keeping everything running smoothly.
However, the work has necessitated pedestrians to make slight adjustments such as crossing the street or walking around the work being done.
"There has been a good group of people getting out to walk more, and this will give them a good means to walk safely through the village," Walter added. "That has been our goal for a long time. It is a quality of life improvement and a safety improvement."
The DOT is also urging motorists to respect construction zones as fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone and multiple offenses can result in the suspension of a motorist's driver's license.
For more information about traffic throughout the state please call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.