POUGHKEEPSIE – Market Street between Church and Mill Streets is one of the busiest streets in the city, and considered by many to be the worst. The city plans to rectify the poor condition starting on Friday, September 11.
The main thoroughfare that brings county residents to the Dutchess County Courts, Dutchess County Office Building, a historic theater, and many other vital services is being repaved after years of neglect.
Work is slated to begin on September 11 to prepare the thoroughfare to have the existing asphalt milled up and removed, followed by new asphalt being laid down.
The plan, according to city officials, calls for the .6 mile strip to have the top 1.5″ of blacktop milled up beginning on September 17 and finishing on September 18. Once the original surface has been removed, the contractor will return on Saturday, September 26, to put down a 1.5″ coating of new asphalt.
Traffic delays are to be expected on September 17, 18, and 26, for the work to be performed by A. Colarusso and Son from Columbia County.
The process of scraping up the existing blacktop, known as milling, is expected to cost $2.56/yard for the 7,625 yards, totaling $19,520 of city money.
The more substantial cost is the application of new blacktop, estimated at 645 tons to replace the 1.5″ of removed material. With asphalt priced at $105 per ton, the new blacktop is expected to cost the city $67,775. The total cost is projected to be $87,245 for the job.
Paperwork previously provided by the City of Poughkeepsie DPW Commissioner said that 3″ of asphalt was to be removed and replaced, requiring 2,300 tons of new asphalt.
On-street parking will be prohibited on Market Street on all three scheduled workdays.
Mayor Rob Rolison said “This project is long overdue. Market Street is one of the first streets that county residents see, and for years, it has been uninviting. Through proper fiscal management, the administration has been able to repair the gateway to the city. This project is one more way we are trying to revitalize Poughkeepsie.”
The three-lane, one-way street has been a conversation piece between the city and county for years. Ongoing negotiations between the two governments is geared to having the city give Market Street to the county. One part of the negotiation involves changing patterns to allow for two-way traffic on the street.
