For two years now, elected officials and a private landowner have worked diligently to implement a plan to mitigate the long-standing traffic problems in the business district on outer Arsenal Street in the town of Watertown.
Work has been progressing on the first two phases of a $1.6 million road-improvement plan negotiated with the town, Jefferson County and landowners two years ago through the intervention of former state Sen. James W. Wright. The landowners, Alexandria Bay developer P.J. Simao and the Thomas Puccia family, have kept their part of the agreement to donate land for County Route 202 linking routes 3 and 12F.
Private transactions have been negotiated between Mr. Simao and Wal-Mart to clear the way for Jefferson County to begin construction of the road which will redirect some traffic from the more congested sections of Route 3. Deals have been struck with landowners to permit the realignment of the Fisher Road intersection with Route 12F to ease the bottleneck at the entrance to the Jefferson County Industrial Park.
The plans had been falling into place. Only the last piece of the three-part agreement has to be finalized, but that will require the cooperation of Pyramid Co. However, the town of Watertown Planning Board surrendered the leverage it had to force the owner of Pyramid Mall to do its part to improve public safety.
Contrary to past statements from town officials, the town Planning Board Monday night approved a 124,000-square-foot expansion of Pyramid Mall without requiring the company to build an east-west connector road linking the mall to Route 202, although the expansion will certainly draw more business generating increased traffic in the region.
Supervisor Joel E. Bartlett and Planning Board co-chairman Thomas Boxberger said on prior occasions that Pyramid's participation in the connector road project would be necessary before the expansion would be approved. The assurances did not matter to the Planning Board. And now the connector road is in doubt. County leaders and Mr. Simao are rightly angry.
Across Route 3, developers have linked their stores from Hannaford supermarket to Target, giving access to those stores, restaurants and smaller outlets fronting Route 3 without needlessly sending motorists onto the main highway. It was done by the developers without government funding. That is the pattern for the other side of Route 3. It is the responsibility of the developers to public safety to build the road.
The connector road is essential; it was part of the original deal. Commitments were made with the understanding that it would be built. Adhere to the agreement.
