Griffo to DOT: ‘Thorough and complete analysis’ needed to address Arterial flooding concerns

UTICA – New York State Senate Deputy Minority Leader Joseph Griffo, R-C-Rome, announced today that he has sent a letter to New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez urging the DOT to undergo a thorough and complete analysis of the flooding issues that have affected parts of the North-South Arterial in Utica.

Deputy Minority Leader Griffo also asked Commissioner Dominguez to make recommendations on preventing future flooding of the Arterial and to make these recommendations public.

The full text of Deputy Minority Leader Griffo’s letter is below:

Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez
New York State Department of Transportation
50 Wolf Road
Albany, NY 12231

Dear Commissioner Dominguez:

I am writing in regards to recent flooding that resulted in the closure of a section of the North-South Arterial in Utica. While I am aware that weather conditions are changing more rapidly, the flooding situation that we have seen impact the Arterial on several occasions following the completion of a $66.5 million reconstruction project is unacceptable and poses a serious safety concern for motorists, neighbors and first responders.

I am pleased to see that the state Department of Transportation and the City of Utica will be collaborating to find ways to address this matter. However, I believe that a more thorough and complete analysis of this issue needs to be undertaken by the state Department of Transportation. It is imperative that this analysis include recommendations that can be taken to prevent this type of flooding from occurring in the future. Further, you should consider making the findings of this examination public.

The North-South Arterial reconstruction project has greatly improved an outdated and unsafe thoroughfare and made needed safety enhancements. I believe these weather-related concerns should be addressed to ensure that residents, visitors and others are safe when they utilize the Arterial.

If you have any questions on this issue, please do not hesitate to contact my office by calling 315-793-9072. Thank you very much for your interest in this important matter.

Sincerely,

Joseph A. Griffo
State Senate, 47th District

CC: Linda Lubey, Regional Director, Region 2 NYS Dept. of Transportation