Traffic on NY-155 in Colonie

The Times Union reported last week that a developer wants to build a 292-unit apartment complex on the property at the corner of Watervliet Shaker Road (NY-155) and Delatour Road in Colonie. This would dramatically worsen traffic in the area, already strained by the existence of Shaker Middle and High Schools and several large churches, and not improved by the fact that the development doesn’t seem to be mixed use, meaning the hundreds of new residents would need to use their cars frequently. During rush hour, traffic slows to a crawl. You can see an example of the problem in this video I shared.

The proposed development is marked on the map:

This would be a great opportunity for NYSDOT to step in and improve the active transportation options on 155. Right now, it’s a two-lane road with inconsistent shoulders and a dangerously high 40 mile per hour speed limit. There’s some pedestrian traffic, including middle and high school students walking between campus and food options along New Loudon Road (NY-9). There’s some cyclist traffic as well, since 155 represents one of the few east-to-west routes from the Hudson River bike path across Colonie.

The speed limit should be lowered to a more appropriate 30 MPH. Widening the road to accommodate a multi-use path would make a huge difference as well. That would allow safe passage for students and families traveling to and from the public school campus, which would reduce some of the vehicular traffic, as well as protecting students when they leave campus to grab coffee or snacks or whatever kids these days do. It would also allow the numerous residents of the nearby existing apartment complex (and the newly proposed one) to access the restaurants and businesses to the west without needing to use their cars much of the time.

Ideally, it could form part of a larger project. NY-155 intersects with NY-9 at a relatively busy intersection. NY-9 is a prime candidate for similar treatment, especially as it would facilitate students from Siena College (visible on the bottom of the map above) to safely walk the short distance to nearby businesses.

There’s a huge amount of potential in the Town of Colonie. As an “inner suburb,” improvements to roads like NY-155 and NY-9 (not to mention Central Ave) could really help connect the region and build up the Town as a destination, not just somewhere to drive through on the way to the more interesting destinations in Albany, Troy, and Schenectady.