CBS 6 Investigates: Amsterdam residents await road repairs
AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (WRGB) – Arleen Blanchard is one many residents along Route 67 in Amsterdam eagerly awaiting repairs to the road.
"It's not the noise that bothers me, it's the vibrations, and the banging. You can't sleep,” Blanchard tells CBS 6.
The stretch of road, also known as Church Street, is a never-ending stream of vehicles dipping and dodging the less than perfect pavement. Blanchard lives in a home right along the aging road CBS 6 first reported on back in March. She says not only is the truck traffic disruptive, she also says contractors told her it's literally causing cracks in the foundation of her home.
"As they (the trucks) go by, you can hear what's going on inside the walls,” Blanchard said.
After CBS 6's reporting earlier this year, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam) and State Senator George Amedore (R-Rotterdam) helped secure funding for the reconstruction necessary to fix it. Now, we're getting a look at the plans. The only problem is, the ideas have yet to get off the paper.
"This is a big project, so there's a lot in this if you look at the plans, a lot happening,” Santabarbara tells CBS 6.
“The ball is in the city's court because they were strapped for funding. They didn't have the funding to do this project,” said Amedore.
Cherylann Saul and Dave Dybas live along the road as well, and say they simply can't make it through another rough winter without any changes. Dybas is running for a Common Council seat in Amsterdam.
"You're feeling a vibration, and the noise is brutal, absolutely brutal,” said Dybas.
"It feels like an earthquake, and you can't enjoy a movie. It's waking my dogs up in the middle of the night thinking somebody is breaking into the house,” Saul tells CBS 6.
Santabarbara says what he's heard is now that the repairs could be complete in phases, with at least some repairs underway before winter rolls in and takes its toll on a road already reeling from years of abuse.
"What we discussed is beginning part of this project, to do some temporary stabilization, identify parts of the road that can be done this year,” said Santabarbara.
"If they take that phased approach, they need to start implementing that first phase now,” said Amedore.
Arleen Blanchard is hopeful, telling CBS 6, "If it works that would be wonderful, but the road is becoming increasingly unstable."
Mayor Michael Villa (R-Amsterdam) tells CBS 6 the city is getting a price from a contractor to mill the road down and put down an inch and a half of blacktop to get the road through the winter. he says he hopes that to start as soon as next week. after that, the mayor says the plan is to go and bid out the full reconstruction project in the Spring.
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