July 31, 2009

 In light of the horrific crash on the Taconic State Parkway, County Executive Andy Spano has directed the commissioners of Public Safety and Public Works to do a survey of parkway entrance signs to see if they are adequate or need to be changed.

A team of police officers and engineers will start the inspections next week, checking the signs and markings at every entrance and exit ramp in Westchester along the Bronx River, Saw Mill, Hutchinson and Cross County parkways. The survey will ensure that all signs are still in place and visible, and that they clearly indicate the direction of traffic flow to try to prevent motorists from entering a parkway going the wrong direction.

“We want to double- and triple-check these ramps and entrances so that there can be no question of whether you’re entering or exiting,” Spano said. “I don’t think we’ll find any major lapses but it never hurts to take a second look. As much as we think everything is in order, we may find there are additional steps we can take.”

The inspections, which will be in marked police cars, are expected to take a few weeks.

The county would be able to initiate any needed modifications to signage on the Bronx River Parkway, which it owns and patrols. However, because most of these entrance signs are on local streets, the approval of the local government would also be needed.  Because county police also patrol the Cross County, Saw Mill and
Hutchinson parkways, those signs will be surveyed as well and any recommendations given to the state, which has the authority over those signs (in conjunction with the local governments).

Public Works Commissioner Ralph Butler noted that the new survey is in keeping with an ongoing assessment of major roadways. Several capital projects are already underway on the Bronx River Parkway, as well as local highways and streets, to help the county meet new federal regulations requiring changes in sign size, fonts and reflectivity that would make them easier to read. 

Last year the county did a similar survey to see what changes could be made to keep trucks from illegally entering the parkways -- and then getting stuck underneath the low bridges. That effort resulted in a number of signs being replaced or relocated by both the county and the state.

“Overall we think the roads are marked fairly well but vandalism and accidents do occur,” said Police Commissioner Thomas Belfiore. “We’re just following through on our responsibility to keep the county safe for the traveling public.”

Police records show only a handful of fatal accidents on parkways that involved people driving the wrong way, and most were attributable to drunk driving, not signage, Belfiore noted.

Anyone who would like to make a suggestion or comment is invited to call Citizen Services at (914)995-2127.