Preservation Design Studio: Lower Congress Street Hearing

Several Building Conservation students and faculty attended a public information meeting regarding the Congress and Ferry Street Reconstruction project at Troy City Hall last night. The purpose of the meeting was to "provide an opportunity for the community...to become familiar with and express comments on this project."

Focusing on the redevelopment of Congress and Ferry streets between Fifth Avenue and Eleventh Street, the well-attended meeting included a technical presentation by project staff followed by a comment period.

As noted in materials distributed at the meeting, the "City of Troy proposes to rebuild this deteriorated section of Congress and Ferry Streets in a pedestrian friendly manner that will also correct existing safety deficiencies, improve the existing utility infrastructure, complement economic development, and minimize traffic delay while being sensitive to the cultural and historic surroundings. The project will be designed in a context sensitive manner to provide a gateway to the City from the east, a gateway to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from the south, and provide traffic calming measures through the corridor to help slow travel speeds. This project will dovetail into the City's Upper Congress Street Reconstruction project currently under final design" [which corresponds generally to the area being studied this semester in Preservation Design Studio].

The three concepts shown during the meeting "represent the outcome of initial feasibility assessments based on engineering, environmental, and stakeholder concerns. Option 1 mimics the existing street configurationi with a simplification of the 8th Street intersection and the extension of 6th Avenue. Option 3 provides an opportunity to adjust the vertical grades of the roadways and brings two-way traffic down to one 6th Avenue intersection. Option 6 relocates the 8th Street intersection to a flatter stretch of Congress Street and provides an overpass for 8th Street to cross over Congress Street...Pending project approvals and detailed design through the winter of 2007/2008, construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2008."

The three concepts are one of approximately 10 different scenarios analyzed by the project team and can be seen online at:

http://www.beforethehighway.com/congress/images/roads.php

Comments may be addressed to Ms. Judy Breselor, Commissioner of Planning, City of Troy, One Monument Square, Troy, NY 12180 within the next 14 days.