Concerns issued over Silo Ridge intersection

AMENIA — At the Planning Board meeting Nov. 1, concerns were raised about the County Route 81/Dunn Road intersection in front of Silo Ridge Country Club.

Chairman George Fenn reviewed a letter from Robert Balkind, assistant director of engineering from Dutchess County Public Works.

"As this intersection will be subject to additional traffic as a result to the proposed action, the CR 81/Dunn Road intersection should be evaluated for safety and capacity," Balkind wrote in his letter. "Safety enhancements of the [intersection] should be proposed and implemented as necessary to prevent a decrease of safety..."

In a phone interview Monday, Balkind said he is very concerned with safety at the intersection.

"It’s just not a nice intersection and it should be looked at," he said. "Normal intersections are usually designed as ‘T’s, where roads intersect perpendicularly. That intersection doesn’t have a perpendicular type of alignment. It has a ‘Y’ shape."

At the Planning Board meeting, member Jim Walsh said he is also concerned with safety at the existing intersection if the country club’s expansion plans go through.

"I foresee a backup of traffic there and a potentially dangerous situation because you have a straightaway there and things get out of hand," Walsh said. "Somebody passed me doing 90 the other day in that spot and I was doing 60, yet they passed me as if I was standing still. Another consideration are people who are driving fast to make it to the train station who are late. This needs to be looked at."

Through e-mail, Mike Dignacco, vice president of Millbrook Ventures, which is the company behind Silo Ridge, wrote that several roads, including CR 81 and Dunn Road, are evaluated from a traffic standpoint in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

"Comments received from the county and the public, related to traffic and safety during the public review process will be addressed," Dignacco wrote. "We are committed to working with the community to address their traffic concerns."