DOT: Cohoes 787 project is 80 percent complete

COHOES, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Department of Transportation says the $11 million Cohoes Boulevard construction project is 80 percent complete.

It includes a first of its kind in the Capital Region—bright red crosswalks elevated four inches off the ground, making pedestrians more visible and reminding drivers to slow down.

There’s a new sign that welcomes you to Cohoes. It’s one of the fresh features that make it clear you’re not on the interstate anymore.

“It really kind of gives it that gateway feel as you come into Cohoes,” said DOT Spokesman Bryan Viggiani.

He took NEWS10 ABC into the construction zone of the project that’s designed to calm traffic on what has been a deadly stretch of road.

“You’re coming up off the interstate and really now it’s time to slow down and hopefully with the plantings with the narrower road, the trees, all that will contribute to a sense of this is an area where I need to slow down,” said Viggiani.

There are new decorative lamp posts and raised medians planted with grass and trees. The new improvements aren’t just aesthetically pleasing, but play a trick on our psyche.

“By narrowing the lanes you get a sense of, you know, I’m going to drive slower here, I want to drive slower here, you kind of get that psychological feel,” said Viggiani.

Narrower lanes, along with a ten foot wide walking and biking trail, means pedestrians don’t have to walk as far to cross the road at Cohoes Boulevard’s three intersections. And there’s one change you may not notice but your subconscious will.

“The road isn’t straight anymore. There’s sort of a, call it a chicane. It’s a little bit of a curve where you don’t have a straight shot. That’s intentional,” said Viggiani.

Another project wrapping up is the roundabout on Route 146 in Clifton Park. It should be done by the end of the year. In Troy, the $27 million repairs on Route 7 and the Collar City Bridge have a year-and-a-half to go.

But the most noticeable change will be on the Cohoes stretch of 787 come springtime.

“By that time, the trees will start blooming, we’ll have the median in place. Hopefully there’ll be folks using the multi-use trail for cyclists and pedestrians. I really think this could be a continuation of something great here in Cohoes,” said Viggiani.

The prior speed limit of 40MPH will be lowered, but it hasn’t been determined by how much.

There’s still work to do on Cohoes Boulevard, including paving, landscaping and finishing the multi-use trail, but the DOT says the project will be complete by the end of the year.