A downtown Troy streetscape project is intended to improve accessibility and mobility in the Collar City. But some residents say it doesn't do enough to protect pedestrians.
Several residents used Thursday night’s city council meeting to express concerns over the Congress and Ferry Streets' corridor project.
Connecting Watervliet across the Hudson River to Troy’s downtown, the project includes a 12-foot travel lane and a 10-foot one-way separated bike lane in the Ferry Street Tunnel, which runs under Russell Sage College.
The Ferry Street Tunnel will receive new lighting and undergo structural improvements following decades of deterioration caused by water damage.
Discussions over the project began in 2018. The project begins at the Congress Street Bridge and would extend east to 11th Street.
On Congress Street, the project features a 10-foot parking lane, 12-foot travel lane and a 3-foot buffer separating cars from a new 8-foot bike lane.
Mayor Carmella Mantello, a Republican, says the project will help connect the city’s downtown neighborhoods to the waterfront, making it “truly walkable.”
“We felt the one that we chose was very balanced,” Mantello said. “It not only put in a bike lane, completely transformed our gateway on the waterfront, which is going to merge Front Street to River Street and continue that bike trail, which is used so much, and it will connect the Uncle Sam bike trail, and eventually all of our trails will connect here in the city, and then to the Empire State Trail and the Hudson River Valley Greenway trail. So, this is all about connections down there. That's going to be transformational.”
Three alternatives proposed for the corridor include one-way buffered bicycle lanes — which is what the city chose — a two-way buffered bike lane, and a road diet on Congress and Ferry Streets. Each alternative has some similarities, but includes element changes largely meant to accommodate bicyclists.
James Rath is the Executive Director of Capital Streets, an organization that promotes walkability and bike-ability. Rath, who spoke during two public comment periods, says the choice of 1A cuts parking in half, and reduces efficacy of snow removal. Rath says two unpromoted public meetings were not enough for a project of this size.
“We’re looking for, and I saw ‘we’ because we’re actually talking to community members and asking them what they want, we’re looking for something that’s balanced, that allows for snow removal, we’re looking for something that allows for emergency vehicle access,” Rath said. “And we provided some concepts to the city that would do that better than what they’ve provided.”
Rath says he is not looking for “radical” bike infrastructure, but more options for families or people who cannot afford cars. Currently, bicyclists share the road with vehicular traffic and pedestrian access is lacking. Rath says the organization got signatures from over 80 residents opposed to the option and presented those signatures and a community letter to city councilors Thursday.
Roddy Yagan is the former chair of the Troy planning commission, which was dissolved by the city council last summer. Yagan asked the council to reconsider approving the design.
“I think there's both tangible and ineffable qualities of the development that matter. Will it function as well as it does now? You know, the beauty of the existing configuration as it is the separation of the Bridge Street traffic and the pedestrians and people that are parking immediately next to where they're going,” Yagan said. “And I wonder if all of you have put yourselves there in that space, in your minds, in the function or design and concept of the new plan, have you actually tried to envision how that'll work? Have you? Have you really spent the time to think about it?”
Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly addressed Yagan's concerns during the meeting.
“I would like to suggest that although everybody here most certainly has the right to come up here and voice their concerns and their opinion, there's plenty of people that aren't here that have voiced opinions on other options. So, you have to obviously take into account the whole public, the whole people in the entire corridor, not necessarily just again right to be heard, but I don't know if four people are indicative of the whole community.”
Council President Pro Tem. Tom Casey, a District 6 Republican, told Donnelly some business owners in the area have also raised concerns over the project.
“I have been approached by business owners that were concerned about traffic on Congress and parking spaces. Everybody's got skin in the game and opinion on this, you know, but I think part of the project has to be bike lanes, it has to be,” Casey said.
“Correct,” Donnelly said.
“That's not my personal opinion, and not everybody's, but it has to be included. Not everybody gets everything they want,” Casey said.
Following the meeting mayor, Mayor Mantello told reporters the city needs to move forward with the project. The Republican says she felt 1A is a balanced choice as it includes a bike lane that connects it to the Uncle Sam Bike Trail.
“Our city, the beauty is, compared to Albany and other cities. We're very compact. We have it all right,” Mantello said. “Here we have the Hudson River. We're continuing the North River Walk. So, we're all about like, safe neighborhoods, biking, hiking, walking, and connecting all of that. And the proposal we chose, while you know, some folks here tonight didn't want to see that proposal, and they wanted to see a concrete barrier, etc. We felt that the buffers that they'll be safe at the same time, it adds all of the public safety features from the other proposal, in terms of signage, in terms of, you know, the buffer.”
In a statement, Democratic Councilor Aaron Vera of District 4 says the more than $12 million project makes few improvements to the corridor. Vera says, as an engineer, he is disappointed with the administration’s choice.
The project is funded mostly through federal dollars with the city contributing 20 percent.
Only about half of the roughly $6 million needed for repairs to the nearby Congress Street Bridge is available. The cities of Troy and Watervliet are working together to secure grant funding.
Construction was expected to begin this spring, but has been bumped to early 2026.
