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Unsuspecting drivers find busy road closed
Reconstruction of Harlem Road has caused expected delays at times along the busy route, and at times drivers have found it difficult to enter the state highway from side streets, but two recent closings of Maryvale Drive created a potentially dangerous situation when drivers found their access blocked.
A one block stretch of Maryvale, between Harlem and Pine Ridge Road, was closed Tuesday for construction related traffic. A similar situation occurred last week.
Maryvale Drive's western terminus forms a four-way intersection with Pine Ridge Road, an entrance to Mount Calvary Cemetery and a Kensington Expressway off-ramp.
Drivers exiting the eastbound expressway could easily turn right (south) onto Pine Ridge and detour around the closed street. However, there was no sign posted to alert drivers travelling north along Pine Ridge that the road ahead was closed.
A spokesperson for the New York State Department of Transportation said that signs should have been placed along Pine Ridge Road.
"Certainly that's not standard procedure, where we don't have the proper signing," Susan S. Surdej, public information officer for the DOT, told the Times on Wednesday.
With no left or right turns available, and a "no outlet" sign posted at the cemetery entrance, the Maryvale closing created a "dead end" for northbound Pine Ridge travelers.
The one-block stretch is used by drivers exiting the expressway to access Harlem Road. It is also a popular route for those who live in the Pine Hill area as they head toward the New York State Thruway.
With nowhere else to go, dozens of drivers made U-turns Tuesday, or entered the cemetery before doubling back to the intersection.
Some drivers Tuesday made their way through Mount Calvary Cemetery, despite the "no outlet" sign posted at the Pine Ridge/Maryvale entrance.
"There's been increased traffic through the cemetery each time it's been closed off," said Jeff Reed, vice president of sales for Mount Calvary Cemetery Group. "It's been (interesting) watching people go in about ten feet, then turn around and head back out."
Drivers wondered why there was no warning that the road was closed, noting that they could have detoured at Sugar Road.
After speaking with the project manager, Surdej contacted the Times to assure drivers that Tuesday's occurrence will not be repeated.
"After it was brought to their attention that it wasn't signed properly, they immediately changed things," Surdej said.
Surdej added that there are no additional closings planned for that block of Maryvale.
Instead, an alternating one-way traffic pattern will be used as needed, with men using flags to direct traffic.
"People will still be able to get through on Maryvale," Surdej said. "There will be no more total closures on Maryvale."
Reed said that the construction has presented "somewhat of a challenge" but one of the cemetery's field supervisors used to work in construction and is acquainted with the contractor performing the work, which has made communication easier.
All of the cemeteries operated by Mount Calvary remain open through road construction. Reed said that funeral directors are advised daily about the best access to cemeteries.
The portion of Maryvale Drive that runs east between the New York State Thruway and Cayuga Road is not affected by Harlem Road construction.
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