WESTMERE — Planners who have been working on a vision for the future of the Westmere corridor — which stretches from Route 155 in the west to Church Road in the east, connecting 20 Mall with Crossgates and Stuyvesant Plaza — will share their vision and ask for community input at an open-house meeting on Thursday, Feb. 11.

The meeting at the Westmere firehouse from 7 to 8:30 p.m. will see planners unveil some ideas for better potential uses of the corridor by bus riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists, said Christopher O’Neill, principal transportation planner with the Capital District Transportation Committee.

Anyone who lives in, commutes through, works in, or shops in the area is encouraged to attend, ask questions, and make comments, said O’Neill.           

The meeting is a follow-up to the first public meeting, held in April 2015. With funding from the transportation committee, and building on both the recommendations from the April meeting and the Guilderland Comprehensive Plan, a team of consultants has developed ideas for improving access and land use while maintaining quality of life.

O’Neill added, “We want to make sure, as development and redevelopment occur over time, that we have a vision for community quality of life, and that we follow that vision.” 

He said that the planners hope to make Western Avenue better for cyclists and pedestrians, while also providing better and more continuous off-road options for those who prefer to use the streets just off the main corridor.

As specific examples of how this connectivity might be improved, O’Neill mentioned two options that have been suggested.

One is to make a connection between Center Drive and Rapp Road that would lead to the Crossgates ring road.

The other, he said, is connecting Crossgates Mall to Stuyvesant Plaza. This would be done, he said, by building onto the existing bridge that currently leads to the Northway.

He added that there are no funds available for that project now, but that it would be an option for the future.

In terms of bus lines, O’Neill said, “One opportunity that we do have is that the Capital District Transportation Authority is planning a Washington/Western line that would connect Crossgates to Albany in a more efficient way, through the state university and the state office campus to downtown.”

Asked about the current state of the corridor for bicyclists, elite bike racer Elizabeth Lukowski, who grew up in Guilderland and now lives in Albany, told The Enterprise that she generally doesn’t ride on that stretch of Route 20 ”because it’s just too dangerous.” She prefers to “take a longer way along the backroads.” Ideally, she said, she believes that cyclists would like to see a designated bike lane through the corridor, separated from vehicle traffic.

At the Feb. 11 open-house meeting at the firehouse at 1741 Western Ave., after some explanation of the overall vision, attendees will be encouraged to circulate through the room to look at drawings of specific suggested improvements. Consultants will be on hand throughout the room to discuss ideas and respond to questions and comments.

The team of consultants who will present the ideas include IBI Group of Albany, with River Street Planning & Development of Troy and T. R. Johnson Engineering of Albany.

“We have thought about bike lanes,” said Martin Hull, associate with the IBI Group. “They would need to be at least five feet wide. That seems to be something that it would be possible to do from about Gipp Road west,” without taking front lawn yardage away from residents.

Hull also mentioned that the study suggests looking at whether there is a need for several more crosswalks, to bring people safely across Western Avenue, for instance at major bus stops.

Both O’Neill and Hull said that the work that has already been done by the state — “two-and-a-half miles of sidewalk,” Hull said — is a big step forward.

O’Neill said that the planners look forward to getting input at the Feb. 11 meeting from residents, students, municipal officials, and leaders of businesses both large and small.