County shuts Rte. 44 beside sidewalk, saying road’s stability is undermined
By Chris Mckenna
October 16, 2008
KIRYAS JOEL - Part of a thoroughfare that wends through Woodbury and Monroe has been temporarily closed after the Village of Kiryas Joel built a wooden sidewalk beside it without permission, Orange County officials announced Wednesday.
The county shut Route 44 between Seven Springs Road and Mountain Road after discovering the sidewalk and deciding it had undermined the stability of the guardrail next to a 30-foot slope, officials said. Village officials couldn’t be reached for comment.
Midhudson News
Diana tells KJ to restore road to previous condition
MONROE – Orange County Executive Edward Diana Thursday told officials of the Village of Kiryas Joel to return a section of County Route 44 to its previous condition in three days or pay a $1,000 per day fine.
The village built a stretch of wooden sidewalk along the county road without permission and that sidewalk negatively impacts the integrity of the guard rails, said Diana.
“We have asked the Village of Kiryas Joel to go in, in the next three days and remove anything they did – the sidewalk – and to go back to preexisting conditions before they started any kind of excavating on that roadway and to bring the integrity of that guiderail back to where it was,” he said.
Diana send village officials a stop work order instructing them to stop all work on the project. He told officials the village must obtain a valid work permit from the county Public Works Department with acceptable plans for any future work on the county road prior to commencing any work.
The village built a stretch of wooden sidewalk along the county road without permission and that sidewalk negatively impacts the integrity of the guard rails, said Diana.
“We have asked the Village of Kiryas Joel to go in, in the next three days and remove anything they did – the sidewalk – and to go back to preexisting conditions before they started any kind of excavating on that roadway and to bring the integrity of that guiderail back to where it was,” he said.
Diana send village officials a stop work order instructing them to stop all work on the project. He told officials the village must obtain a valid work permit from the county Public Works Department with acceptable plans for any future work on the county road prior to commencing any work.
Orange County, Kiryas Joel at odds again
Officials say village built walkway without permission
By Chris Mckenna
Times Herald-Record October 17, 2008
KIRYAS JOEL — For families in the new condos on a hillside above County Route 44, the wooden walkway just erected beside the busy thoroughfare offered a safe path they had long craved.
But the new sidewalk has ignited yet another conflict with Orange County officials and struck critics of Kiryas Joel's leaders as the latest instance of their acting first and seeking permission later, even when county property is involved.
The issue erupted Wednesday when county officials discovered the elevated boardwalk and immediately shut down the road, declaring that the work had been done without county approval and had destabilized the guardrail. Concrete barriers now block off that section, forcing drivers to detour through Kiryas Joel as they head between Monroe and Woodbury. On Thursday, county officials ordered Kiryas Joel to remove the walkway and shore up 500 feet of the guardrail before Monday, or face $1,000 a day in fines.
"It's very loose; it's very wobbly," County Executive Ed Diana said of the metal railing on Thursday. "If a vehicle were to hit that, it would go well into that walkway."
The reaction in Kiryas Joel was one of dismay. Moses Witriol, the village's public safety director, fumed that village officials had gotten no warning about the closing and now had to contend with navigating ambulances and fire trucks around a blocked artery.
Why, he and others in the Hasidic community asked, was the county suddenly concerned about Route 44 safety when their leaders have complained for years about the need for sidewalks? One young couple, stopped at the barriers with 2-year-old twin boys and a 4-month-old baby in their minivan, voiced exasperation with the perils of pushing a double stroller along the narrow shoulder as vehicles whizz past.
"What should my wife do when a truck is coming from one side and a bus is coming from the other?" asked the father, who declined to give his name. "Call the EMTs right away, or wait to see what happens?"
Several years ago, village officials began pushing to take possession of their section of the county-owned road and use grant money to widen the road and install sidewalks. County lawmakers ultimately refused to cede ownership but supported the project and offered Kiryas Joel an easement to do the work.
It was unclear Thursday what became of that offer. Witriol said the boardwalk was temporary — built in the midst of a pedestrian-heavy holiday season — and was on private property, not the county's right-of-way.
"Even if that's true, there are certain guidelines that have to be met," Diana replied, adding that the village would likely have gotten a county permit if it had sought one.
But the new sidewalk has ignited yet another conflict with Orange County officials and struck critics of Kiryas Joel's leaders as the latest instance of their acting first and seeking permission later, even when county property is involved.
The issue erupted Wednesday when county officials discovered the elevated boardwalk and immediately shut down the road, declaring that the work had been done without county approval and had destabilized the guardrail. Concrete barriers now block off that section, forcing drivers to detour through Kiryas Joel as they head between Monroe and Woodbury. On Thursday, county officials ordered Kiryas Joel to remove the walkway and shore up 500 feet of the guardrail before Monday, or face $1,000 a day in fines.
"It's very loose; it's very wobbly," County Executive Ed Diana said of the metal railing on Thursday. "If a vehicle were to hit that, it would go well into that walkway."
The reaction in Kiryas Joel was one of dismay. Moses Witriol, the village's public safety director, fumed that village officials had gotten no warning about the closing and now had to contend with navigating ambulances and fire trucks around a blocked artery.
Why, he and others in the Hasidic community asked, was the county suddenly concerned about Route 44 safety when their leaders have complained for years about the need for sidewalks? One young couple, stopped at the barriers with 2-year-old twin boys and a 4-month-old baby in their minivan, voiced exasperation with the perils of pushing a double stroller along the narrow shoulder as vehicles whizz past.
"What should my wife do when a truck is coming from one side and a bus is coming from the other?" asked the father, who declined to give his name. "Call the EMTs right away, or wait to see what happens?"
Several years ago, village officials began pushing to take possession of their section of the county-owned road and use grant money to widen the road and install sidewalks. County lawmakers ultimately refused to cede ownership but supported the project and offered Kiryas Joel an easement to do the work.
It was unclear Thursday what became of that offer. Witriol said the boardwalk was temporary — built in the midst of a pedestrian-heavy holiday season — and was on private property, not the county's right-of-way.
"Even if that's true, there are certain guidelines that have to be met," Diana replied, adding that the village would likely have gotten a county permit if it had sought one.
The story as we understand it (corrections and clarifications welcome).