Uptown Transportation Improvements
With funding provided by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, administered by the NYS Department of State, the City is now working with engineering consultants HVEA to examine safety and traffic circulation on two key routes in the Stockade Business District. (Please see About the DRI to the right.)
The Uptown Transportation Improvements Project will address pedestrian access and circulation for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians—improving safety and navigability while attracting tourism, shopping, dining, and other business activity to the Stockade District. It will also support the future connection between portions of the Kingston Greenline and support our goal of creating complete streets across the City (see FAQs for more info).
The project is specifically focused on improvements to Schwenk Drive between Washington Avenue and Fair Street, and the intersections at Clinton Avenue and Westbrook Lane, Main/John Street, and Albany Avenue.
Work may include lane reconfiguration, intersection upgrades and ADA improvements, new two-way protected bicycle lanes or a shared-use path, and creation of a new parking lane.
Example of a Shared-Use Path
Since early spring 2020, our Project Advisory Committee, a.k.a the PAC, has been assisting in the decision-making process about the design. The group provided a wide range of concerns and ideas and HVEA conducted a traffic analysis to inform the development of design alternatives.
HVEA is also working with Susan G. Blickstein, LLC, a transportation policy and public engagement firm, which developed two community surveys that were open from May 7 through June 15. The surveys were designed to collect information about how community members travel along the routes, their perceptions about safety, and the preferred types of improvements they would like to see. Results of the public surveys are posted to the right.
Ultimately, the PAC and City staff considered eight different alternatives and narrowed those down to one priority recommendation. This alternative was presented in a virtual public meeting on November 19, 2020. Links to recordings of the presentation in English and in Spanish are also posted to the right — please take a look and weigh in!
If you have additional ideas you'd like to share, please add them to Share Your Thoughts below. Further information about our selection process can be found under Design Process.
Our public comment period will close on Thursday, December 31, 2020.
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Schwenk Drive and Clinton Avenue Design Process
PROJECT OVERVIEW
As part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), the City was awarded $2.3 million to address mobility, safety, and circulation on two key roads within the Stockade Business District: Schwenk Drive between Washington Avenue and Fair Street, and Clinton Avenue between John Street and Albany Avenue. The focus of this effort also includes a connection between two segments of the Kingston Greenline and supports the City’s goal of creating complete streets.
Early in the development of the project, the City of Kingston created a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) with representatives from area businesses, residents, and City and County officials. The PAC has explored many options for addressing safety and operations on Schwenk Drive and identified the need to improve pedestrian mobility and traffic flows on Clinton Avenue. Through meetings, community input, field observations, and detailed traffic analyses, the PAC honed the designs for both roads to meet the objectives of the DRI grant and address operational and safety needs. To provide any comments and feedback for the design concepts of Schwenk Drive and Clinton Avenue, please go to the SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS tab.
SCHWENK DRIVE
Schwenk Drive is a 4-lane wide roadway with a landscaped median and several busy intersections. It has a very high crash rate, over four times the statewide average for similar roadways. There are no dedicated facilities to protect bicyclists from fast-moving traffic. The current configuration of Schwenk Drive requires motorists to cross multiple lanes of oncoming traffic to make left-turns and U-turns, with traffic often weaving around turning vehicles. The graphic below shows the cross-section of Schwenk Drive’s existing road configuration.
Existing Conditions
Schwenk Drive also presents challenges for pedestrians. The Kingston Plaza intersection has long crossing distances for those on foot, without any place to stop that is protected from motorized traffic. The northern Schwenk Drive sidewalk is deteriorating in certain sections and places pedestrians directly next to fast-moving traffic. These concerns are especially problematic as Schwenk Drive – an important link between the Midtown Linear Park and the Kingston Rail Trail – will see increased use by pedestrians and bicyclists in the future.
The initial design concept for Schwenk Drive was a road diet (reduction in the number of travel lanes) with one through traffic lane in each direction, left-turn pockets, and a shared-use path on the north side of the road. The original concept also included a redesign of the Kingston Plaza traffic signal and intersection. There were also variations on the road diet approach, including a version with bicycle lanes and one with a two-way cycle track on one side of the road. Based on traffic analyses, field observations, and input from the Project Advisory Committee and businesses along the corridor, additional design options were analyzed.
Original Concept: Roadway Diet with Shared-Use Path
Roadway Diet Variation with Bicycle Lanes
PROPOSED DESIGN FOR SCHWENK DRIVE
Concerns about peak hour congestion, impacts of new development, and safe access to adjacent businesses and properties resulted in design alternatives with roundabouts added at Frog Alley and Kingston Plaza. After more detailed analysis of the likely impacts on private property and historic resources to support a roundabout at Kingston Plaza, this option was dropped at Kingston Plaza in favor of a new traffic signal with modern crosswalks and ADA upgrades. The sidewalk on the south side of the road will remain, with a new shared-use path (approximately 12 feet wide) along the north side (see below). A roundabout with mountable curbing is proposed at Frog Alley to allow emergency vehicles to maneuver through this intersection.
To provide comments about the proposed design for Schwenk Drive, please go to the Share Your Thoughts tab.
Proposed Design
Roundabout at Frog Alley
Cross-section of the proposed design from Frog Alley to Kingston Plaza
CLINTON AVENUE
Clinton Avenue currently experiences congestion during peak hours, making it difficult for drivers to make left turns onto and off of the roadway. Pedestrians, especially those who rely on mobility aids, also struggle to navigate and safely cross the road. The existing traffic signals are not coordinated, contributing to traffic backups. Clinton Avenue also has a high crash rate, five times the state-wide rate for similar roadways. The design process for Clinton Avenue was driven heavily by traffic analysis and the physical constraints of the right of way and the built environment. For example, it is not possible to accommodate a dedicated bicycle facility on Clinton Avenue due to these constraints.
PROPOSED DESIGN FOR CLINTON AVE INTERSECTIONS
The preferred design for the Clinton Avenue corridor calls for upgrading the Clinton Avenue/Main Street, Clinton Avenue/Albany Avenue, and the John Street/Westbrook Lane intersections with new coordinated traffic signals, crosswalks that reduce crossing distances, and sidewalk ramps that meet ADA requirements.
To provide comments about the proposed design for Clinton Ave, please go to the Share Your Thoughts tab.
Design Improvements for the Clinton/Main Intersection
Design Improvements for the Clinton/Albany Intersection
Design Improvements for the Clinton/Westbrook/John Intersection
Please share your comments and feedback in the SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS tab. If you have a story that you want to share about Schwenk Drive and Clinton Ave. that you want to share, feel free to share below as well. Thank you!
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Who's Listening
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Phone 845-334-3961 Email rfrank@kingston-ny.gov -
Public Survey Results
About the DRI
Governor Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) is transforming downtown neighborhoods into vibrant communities where New Yorkers want to live, work and raise families. Kingston was selected as the winner of the second DRI grant round in 2017 for its plan to revitalize the Stockade Business District.
Communities are nominated by the state’s ten Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs) based on the downtown’s potential for transformation. Each is awarded $10 million to develop a downtown strategic investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community’s vision for revitalization. The DRI is administered by the Department of State.
In 2018, following an in-depth planning process with strong public input, five priority projects within the Stockade District were selected to receive a portion of the DRI grant funds:
Dietz Stadium and Andretta Pool Upgrades ($2,500,000)
Frog Alley Historic Open Space ($472,500)
Kingstonian Development Public Plaza and Pedestrian Bridge ($3,800,000)
Stockade Business District Small Grants and Loans Program ($600,000)
Uptown Transportation Improvements ($2,327,500)
For details on all of the projects that were considered for funding, please read the City's Full Strategic Investment Plan.