POUGHKEEPSIE – The Dutchess County Transportation Council, in consultation with state, county, and local agencies, has unveiled four planning concepts for the Route 9/44/55 interchange in Poughkeepsie. The proposed designs, which are the product of work done by the project team, show a range of possibilities for reconfiguring the interchange.
The concepts are long-range ideas, not actual engineering level designs, and can be viewed online at the project website at www.poughkeepsie94455.com/virtual-meeting.
“I often drive through this location and can say first-hand that it’s a challenge to negotiate the weaves on and off Route 9 – and that’s coming from a resident, so how much more challenging is for visitors to our area? It will be a challenge to secure the federal and state funds necessary to ultimately construct any one of these concepts, but we need to start somewhere, and the first step is to create an informed, bold vision of what might work,” said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro.
“This is arguably the most important gateway into the City of Poughkeepsie, and we are eager to make it a welcoming and safe experience for all,” said Poughkeepsie City Mayor Rob Rolison.
“This is the beginning of a process that has been long overdue,” said Poughkeepsie Town Supervisor on Baisley. “These routes should be welcoming, and not places drivers try to avoid due to congestion and accidents on a daily basis. Changes need to be made to the interchange for the safety of the traveling public, and the arterials should be addressed to work on a more pedestrian-friendly corridor.”
The county transportation county initiated Poughkeepsie 9/44/55 in late 2019 to examine how the Route 9 interchange and 44/55 arterials might be redesigned to make them safer and more reliable for drivers and those who walk, bike, or use transit, while also making them work better for nearby neighborhoods.
The initiative is a cooperative effort of the Dutchess County Transportation Council, New York State Department of Transportation, Dutchess County, and the City and Town of Poughkeepsie. Funding for Poughkeepsie 9.44.55 comes from the Federal Highway and Transit Administration through the DCTC’s planning program.
