Ossining Roundabout: FAQ Posted, Opposition Grows

The Ossining Village Board passed a resolution last week to fund a roundabout at Main, Spring and Central Avenue, and opposition immediately began to form. Construction is planned to take place this summer.

Village officials have created a page on the Village website with information and links addressing some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the roundabout. That page will continue to be updated so that it may be a go-to resource for the community, said Mayor Victoria Gearity.

Also, at the board's Feb. 22 work session, Village Engineer Paul Fraioli will provide information about logistics for the construction phase.

"One of the questions that comes up is, what will it look like?" she said in an email to residents. "If you search for images of a roundabout, you'll likely get a bunch of birds-eye-view engineering designs. Here's a pedestrian-eye-view I snapped last spring on a visit to Glens Falls. As you can see, they've chosen to plant several trees at the center of their roundabout. What will Ossining choose? Will there be a statue in the middle? Trees? A fountain? A flagpole? Wondering how a roundabout can work in an historic downtown? Here's a video with interviews from several Glens Falls leaders and business owners."

The intersection has been a blight for decades — ever since village officials decided belatedly to join the urban renewal movement and got through demolition of one half of the intersection before funds and willpower dried up.

Still, opponents of the plan want to keep things as they are.

They hope to get enough signatures on a petition to force the issue to a referendum.

There's been a lot of discussion on the Facebook group Ossining - a Town Square.

The consultants' report to the village board about the advantages and disadvantages of conventional and roundabout intersections is available here.

Image via Village of Ossining