Rumble strip is noisy and not necessary

To the Editor:

I would like to know if any other people who live in Altamont, or Guilderland Center, or, of course, the Hilltowns, really enjoy the new paving/blacktop that was put down leading into Altamont. Myself, I think it is great, nice and smooth, a great improvement.

I spend a lot of time at the house of a buddy of mine in Guilderland Center, and we enjoy sitting outside a lot, cooking on the barbecue, and enjoying nature to its fullest. There is a lot of traffic near the split by routes 146 and 158, and, when you get used to it, is somewhat tolerable.

Now, with the new pavement, we have a center-stripe rumble strip, which, being a truck driver for many years, I think is a good idea on a major highway on the shoulders of the road, left/right, to wake up sleepy drivers. But, let me tell you, this new strip is a pain in the keester.

Now, on a nightly basis, we listen to the traffic, the big rigs with their “Jake” brakes going to the industrial park, and the new rumble strip when cars don’t keep exactly in their lane.

My point is, I talked to a man from the state’s Department of Transportation  about this and he said that the New York State D.O.T. is requiring this on any new paving projects in the state that is a major thoroughfare with two-way traffic. I asked if there had been a study done over the years if there had been a lot of head-on accidents on this stretch, or motorists repeatedly crossing the double yellow line. He did not have an answer.

Now, besides the chirping birds, the Black Creek babbling by, the cicadas making their summer noise, and the crackling of the fire in the fireplace, we get to hear the Wwwwwwrrrrrdddd of the rumble strip

Jeff Jones

Rotterdam

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