$17M plans to revamp Fuller

GUILDERLAND — Several options are on the table for the reconstruction plans on Fuller Road and the final decision won’t be made for months to come.

The two projects, with a combined estimated cost of nearly $17 million, consist of the “corridor project,” which covers improvements along the whole stretch of the 1.7 mile road from Western to Central avenues, and the “intersection project,” which will reconfigure at least two major intersections on Fuller.  Both projects are expected to be finished in 2010, said Albany County’s commissioner of public works, Michael Franchini, at a public meeting to gather feedback on the plans held last Thursday at the State University at Albany’s Nanotech College.

According to some of the proposals, the Nanotech campus would stand to gain a significant amount of developable land since Washington Avenue Extension might shift to follow the curve of I-90.  If the arch of that thoroughfare were to invert, there would be a land swap between the department of transportation, which owns the roadway, and the college, which owns the wooded area.  Since both are state agencies, it would be relatively uncomplicated, said Franchini.

A few options are available for approaching the Washington Avenue Extension portion of the intersection project — that road is maintained by the state, Fuller is a county road, and Washington Avenue is maintained by the City of Albany.  “So, it’s complicated,” Franchini said of that area. 

One option is to keep the traffic light largely as it is, with changes to accommodate more traffic; another changes the light in favor of a three-lane approach roundabout; yet another includes a bridge that would carry through traffic on Washington Avenue over the intersection altogether, leaving the roundabout for those making a turn; and a similar plan for what is called a single point urban interchange, which also has a bridge to carry Washington Avenue traffic over Fuller Road.

The other major intersection to be reconfigured is where Fuller meets the I-90 ramps — a somewhat less complicated affair that will be handled with a straightforward roundabout.

The introduction of roundabouts in an area where only traditional traffic devices have been used is a concern to some residents in the area who have trouble getting out of their small suburban streets onto Fuller as it is now, with the pockets created by red lights.  This was chief among the concerns raised at the meeting.  Patrick Kenneally, of Greenman-Pedersen, Inc., assured residents that the normal flow of traffic will allow for ample opportunity to enter Fuller Road.

Roundabouts naturally slow traffic, Creighton Manning engineer Jeff Pangburn, said, which means that the roads are safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.  Several people asked about amenities that might be offered for cyclists given the rising price of fuel, still others asked about expanded stops for CDTA travelers.  The entire stretch of Fuller is slated for new sidewalks, according to the plans, and there will be a four-foot shoulder for bikes.

In the two years planned for reconstruction, the worn old roadway will be rebuilt from the soil up, said Kenneally, and it will stay mostly in the existing right-of-way.  Fuller will be handled in two sections — work will be done on the strip from Western Avenue to Washington Avenue in 2009 and the second half, from Washington Avenue to Central Avenue, will be under construction in 2010.  During those two years, the road will always be open to traffic, Kenneally said, probably with one lane open.

When the project is finished, officials at the meeting said that the road wouldn’t need to be reworked for at least 25 years or so.  Right now, the county is trying to gather input from residents and commuters before it makes a decision on which configuration will be used — a choice Franchini expects to be made in late fall or early winter.