Archive: News

	Editor's Note: This is Tompkins County's road reconstruction project, not the Town's Warren Road sewer project.  That project was also submitted for stimulous package consideration, but has not yet been chosen.  It was recently approved to go ahead by the New York State Comptroller's office.

Tompkins County has been awarded the first local federal stimulus dollars under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

The County has received word from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) that $5.5 million in federal stimulus funding has been awarded for the reconstruction of three miles of Warren Road in the Town and Village of Lansing.

The Warren Road reconstruction project, applied for under the category of Transportation Infrastructure, was one of those that the County pledged would be ready to go within 90 days, should federal stimulus funds be granted.  Last month, the County, on behalf of the Tompkins County Council of Governments, filed a comprehensive and coordinated package of proposed local investment projects to be underwritten through the stimulus program.  The Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council also submitted the proposed project to the DOT.


“We are very pleased to be notified of this award,” says Michael Koplinka-Loehr, Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature.  “This early award is a tribute to our efforts to have a comprehensive submission in the hands of the Governor’s Office in a timely fashion.  This valuable assistance will move forward a long-needed project in Tompkins County.”

The Warren Road project will reconstruct the highway between Route 13 and Asbury Road and will incorporate improved accommodations for pedestrian and bicycle travel, and for mass transit.

Planning and Public Works Commissioner Ed Marx notes that traffic volume on Warren Road is rapidly increasing as this commercial and industrial area expands, accompanied by growth in residential development.  Pavement improvements are needed to handle increasing traffic volume and loads.  The pedestrian and bicycle improvements will accommodate a high volume of walkers and bikers.  Marx adds that the work will guard the safety of residents, maintain the built environment, and prevent the need for more costly construction in the future.

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