We routinely leverage our resources to meet the transportation planning needs and priorities of our member agencies and local communities. We accomplish this by completing studies internally or through consultant services. We typically pursue planning activities that address transportation safety, reliability, access to basic needs, and walking and bicycling. Many of these initiatives stem from recommendations in our countywide long-range Transportation Plan – Moving Dutchess Forward – or through a formal request by a member agency or municipality.
Visit our Planning Studies Map to easily reference the locations of our published transportation studies.
We are excited to announce the release of the final report for the Spackenkill Road Sidewalk Feasibility Study. The study, requested by the Town of Poughkeepsie, began in December 2022, with the goal of determining the potential for installing sidewalks on Spackenkill Road from Croft Road to Cedar Ave, addressing a long-standing idea to improve the area's walkability, both for students and residents. The report includes an analysis of existing conditions, overview of public outreach efforts and key issues, and recommendations for consideration by the Town and NYSDOT, including sidewalk installation and intersection improvements.
As part of our long-running local pedestrian planning initiative, we are completing a pedestrian plan for the Dover Plains hamlet in the Town of Dover. The plan includes an inventory and analysis of pedestrian infrastructure in the hamlet, relying on extensive fieldwork and digital mapping to help understand conditions. The plan is guided by a volunteer task force from the town, and includes coordination with NYSDOT and MTA/Metro-North Railroad. See below for study materials (all files .pdf):
Task Force meeting summaries:
Meeting #1
Meeting #2
Meeting #3
Meeting #4
Meeting #5
Dover Day public outreach summary
December 2022 Town Board Presentation
April 2023 Town Board Presentation
A Safety Assessment is a formal examination of an existing or planned transportation facility (a road, intersection, sidewalk, or trail) by an independent, multi-disciplinary Safety Assessment Team. Safety Assessments evaluate potential issues and identify solutions that improve safety for all travelers, including people driving, walking, bicycling, and riding transit. The Federal Highway Administration promotes the use of Safety Assessments as a cost-effective tool to improve roadway safety. Safety Assessments answer these basic questions:
1. What elements of the road present a safety concern? To what extent, to which types of transportation, and under what circumstances?
2. What opportunities exist to eliminate or mitigate identified safety concerns?
3. Are there low-cost solutions or countermeasures that would improve safety?
Since 2012, we have completed a series of assessments on high-crash county and local roads and intersections (see our Publications Page to review our Safety Assessment reports). Recommendations typically address reducing vehicle speeds, stabilizing road shoulders, reducing horizontal and vertical curvatures, and improving sight distances and signage. We identify the locations based on an analysis of crash data and input from local agencies and municipalities.
If you have a road or intersection you would like us to consider, please call or email us.
