by David Flint
Due to road construction on NYS Route 2, Grafton folks have been finding it a slow go lately getting to destinations in the Albany/Troy area. Stephentown commuters can soon join the club. As of Monday, August 15, the State Transportation Department (NYSDOT) will shut down a stretch of Route 43 to replace a large culvert near Reno Road in the Town of Nassau. The road at that spot got washed out by the flooding that occurred in the summer of 2009 and was temporarily repaired.
According to NYSDOT spokesperson Carol Breen, the closure is expected to last about three weeks. Large trucks will have to take a lengthy detour via Route 66 and Routes 20 and 22. Cars can use Routes 66 and County Route 21 (Dunham Hollow Road). Breen said that local residents will be allowed access to their properties, but no one will be
allowed through the actual construction site as part of the road will be taken out to accommodate removal of the old culverts and installation of a new one.
The construction up on Route 2 involves cleaning and repairing or replacing 41 culverts between Route 351 in Brunswick and the Grafton Town Hall. The road is open in both directions, but Breen said motorists should expect daily lane closures and detours at different points along the route. NYSDOT hopes to complete that work by early fall, she said.
In case you saw a Capital District Transit Authority (CDTA) bus on Route 22 lately, it’s not your imagination. The CDTA route from Troy to the Grafton Lakes State Park now runs across Route 7 down Route 22 and west on Route 2 from Petersburgh to the entrance of the Park.