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Town Board: Route 117 trenching on track for Sept. 4 reopening, town sets "drop-dead" date
Summary
Town Administrator Rob Deary told the New Castle Town Board that state crews are trenching and relocating utilities at the Route 117 culvert site and that New York State DOT has indicated work should finish before Sept. 4 — a date the town says is nonnegotiable because school buses must resume normal routes.
The New Castle Town Board was told July 14 that work closing Route 117 for culvert replacement and utility relocation remains on schedule and that the town has insisted the road reopen by Sept. 4.
"According to [the project manager], the project is still on schedule to be completed prior to, September 4," Town Administrator Rob Deary said. "We have reiterated ... that that is, drop dead date." Deary said state crews began trenching and shoring, relocated water and gas lines, set up bypass pumping and installed fencing and barriers since the work began on June 29.
The project has routed commercial traffic on a long detour (using routes 120 and 128) while the town has advised noncommercial drivers to use the Sawmill River Parkway. Deary said mapping and navigation apps have at times redirected vehicles onto narrow local roads, prompting the town to install signage and coordinate with the police department and DPW to discourage truck traffic on winding local streets.
Supervisor (speaker 1) said town officials have contacted state lawmakers and the governor's regional office to stress safety concerns tied to the detours, including the fact that Route 117 is a primary route to Northern Westchester Hospital. "There's no way for our school buses to to go through the sawmill," the supervisor said, adding that school reopening after Labor Day makes the Sept. 4 reopening essential.
Town staff are monitoring the site multiple times daily and have placed traffic counters on local streets to measure changes in volume and speed. Deary said DOT has told the town it will add work hours if the contractor falls behind schedule.
No vote was taken on the Route 117 project itself during the meeting; the board recorded the update and said it will continue to press state officials to meet the timeline.
The town urged drivers to follow posted detour signs and to expect continued work and traffic control in the area until the project is complete.
