Traffic light coming for deadly intersection
By Nathan Mayberg
WARWICK — Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus announced on Friday that a traffic light and other improvements will be made at the deadly four-way intersection in Warwick where three Goshen High School students were killed two weeks earlier.
The intersection of County Route 1, 1A, 41 and Blooms Corners Road in the town of Warwick hamlet of Edenville will be improved following the results of a study by an engineering firm hired by Neuhaus and Orange County. Currently, there are blinking lights at the busy four way-intersection.
According to a press release sent out by Justin Rodriguez, a spokesman for Neuhaus, the move followed his recent discussions with the firm and the county's Department of Public Works.
Town of Warwick residents and officials had complained about the dangers of the intersection to the previous county administration. Those calls were reiterated after the fatal crash involving a truck driver from Pennsylvania and the car owned by Decat driving school as part of Goshen High School's summer driver's education program.
The crash killed Anthony Baglivo, Lucas O'Connor and Paul Van Doran.
“After our discussions, I have asked our Department of Public Works to move forward on installing a traffic light at the intersection, and make any other necessary improvements,” Neuhaus said in a statement.
“That process will begin immediately, starting with design.”
The County hired Maser Consulting to conduct the study of the dangerous intersection which Warwick police say has been the site of numerous accidents.
“I was notified on the afternoon of the tragic accident at the intersection in Warwick that there had been a history of complaints about the intersection before I took office in January of 2014,” Neuhaus said.
“I immediately asked our Department of Public Works and Maser Consulting to investigate. They came back to us today with their initial reports. One study result that concerns me is that more than half of the drivers on that road are speeding. We all need to be more responsible on the roads for our safety and the safety of others. When it comes to the safety of those who travel Orange County roadways, we always want to be proactive.”
The speed limit is posted at 45 miles per hour on County Route 1A, the road the truck was travelling on before the crash, though drivers routinely exceed that speed as they proceed down winding hills in both directions. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. The car with the minors and a driving instructor was struck as a 16-year-old driver attempted to make a left turn from County Route 41 onto Route 1A and was hit on the rear driver's side door by the truck.
The speed limit is 30 miles per hour on Blooms Corners Road, where a stop sign is posted before the intersection.
Design of the intersection will begin immediately with necessary right of way acquisition to follow. The County anticipates bidding and construction of the project to begin in the first half of 2016.