Dryden, county officials discuss ways to improve Route 13

Village of Dryden Mayor Michael Murphy frequently travels on New York State Route 13, most of the time in Dryden and sometimes on his way to Ithaca. Murphy, and community members of the village, has noticed a common issue with Route 13: traffic congestion.

“Many villagers use the route to get to work and want the state to more efficiently deal with the side roads during peak traffic times of the day,” he said. “The villagers doing local activity in the village are affected by the heavy traffic.”

Issues with the state route have led to a corridor study, which focuses on an 8.5-mile stretch between Spring House Road in the village of Dryden and Warren Road in the village of Lansing.

The study’s primary purpose is to raise awareness and confront safety issues along the roadway.

The study analyzes six intersections, including Warren Road, Sapsucker Woods Road/Brown Road, Hanshaw Road, Lower Creek Road, and Dryden Road and Main Street that is adjacent to State Route 366.

“It certainly affects travel throughout the town [of Dryden],” said Town Supervisor Jason Leifer, who is a member of the study’s steering committee.

Fernando de Aragon, executive director of the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council, is also a key member of the steering committee. De Aragon said the transportation system on Route 13 is “automobile dependent.”

“At the end of the day, the problem is too many people are driving,” he said.

De Aragon added that the traffic congestion on Route 13 is caused by cars pulling out of businesses’ driveways on the stretch, along with people turning onto the route on four-way intersections and out of their homes.

“We’re trying to address the problems it creates,” he said.

A large part of the traffic congestion, Leifer said, is people commuting to work from Cortland to Ithaca and vice versa.

Leifer believes the long commute occurs because people don’t want to deal with the traffic, the cost of living is too high and there is a lack of houses to choose from in the area.

“We need to build more housing and people need to get paid more so that will lead to less traffic,” he said.

The study helps aid in planning and land development, including affordable housing and the potential to add more single-family homes and apartment buildings due to restructured zoning in the town of Dryden, Leifer said.

Local residents can also take advantage of the Rail Trail for transportation, Leifer added.

“If someone worked at Cornell, they could ride a bike to work,” he said. “They wouldn’t even need a car to commute because the Rail Trail gets you to where you want to be. They could even easily get to Ithaca.”

Redevelopment of the Route 13 stretch could provide alternatives to traveling, de Aragon said. He added that having sheltered bus stops available on the side of the road, including in the thick of Dryden, would cut down on the number of cars on the road.

De Aragon said that TCAT helps pick people up at flagged stops in the rural parts of Dryden and drop them off at the bus stops “instead of walking 3 miles to one of the bus stops.”

“The more people you can get out of cars, the better it is,” he said.

Murphy believes Route 13 could benefit from becoming a four-lane highway from Route 366 in Etna, next to Route 13, to Warren Road in Lansing.

“It would have very little harm and be a great benefit,” he said.

A better road design, Murphy added, could allow for a safe and quick entrance to Route 13.

“This action could lead to residential and economic growth for the village, especially if villagers are aware that the roadway is safe to be on,” he said.

If the study proves to be a convincing factor for the state to make improvements on Route 13, it could decrease high traffic volumes and accidents, de Aragon said.

“People would be able to pull out of their homes and businesses safer,” he said, adding that the implementation of bus stops plays a big role in how people will get from location to location.

The corridor study project began in August 2019. The final draft of the study was released to the public and is currently under review before further action takes place.

In Brief:

Town of Dryden

The town of Dryden’s next agenda and abstract meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. The town’s next board meeting is slated for Thursday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

Village of Dryden

The village of Dryden’s next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Village Hall.