Troy’s Hoosick Street connects many communities to major highways, but it’s also the cause of congestion. WAMC spoke with residents and officials about how safety can be improved along the corridor.
Heading west on Route 7 through Troy and Brunswick, drivers and pedestrians are carried through a bustling roadway peppered with small and commercial shops, fast food chains, doctors’ offices, and more.
In recent years, development along the road has bolstered Troy, Sycaway, and Brunswick’s economies. But residents are becoming frustrated with the congestion, saying it’s become dangerous over the last three decades.
James Wild lives near the 15th and Hoosick Street intersection. Like many locals, he says he often avoids the busy, four-lane road.
“I don’t love Hoosick Street, but at the same time there is some benefits that our family sees from living in close proximity to businesses,” Wild said.
According to Troy Police, in 2023 officers responded to 165 traffic crashes between River Street and North Lake Avenue.
And over the last decade, there have been more than 1,600 such incidents in the same area.
John Kane often commutes by foot or bicycle to visit grocery stores and businesses throughout the city. Kane says that the lack of convenient public transportation makes it difficult to live without a car.
“The conditions on Hoosick on the shoulder of the road where bikes should be is actually pretty dangerous. My bike is sitting in one of my bedrooms right now because I blew a tire out for, I think, the third or fourth time this year coming down Hoosick, there's just detritus on the side of the road and drivers are not accustomed to bicyclists.”
Troy’s Hoosick St. begins at River St. and runs to North Lake Ave. It then becomes Hoosick Road in the Town of Brunswick and then turns back into Route 7 and continues to Vermont’s western border.
The roadway is managed by the New York State Department of Transportation.
In a statement, DOT says “The safety of the traveling public and pedestrians is paramount to the New York State Department of Transportation. We are continually seeking mobility enhancements through modifications of traffic signal operations in the Route 7 corridor which has grown over recent years with extensive commercial and other development.”
Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello says she is not sure what the solution is, but adjusting the timing of the lights may be helpful—something the DOT says has been done many times at the 8th Street signals where Route 7 meets Hoosick Street. Mantello says it all stems from poor planning decades ago on the part of DOT.
“This is a nightmare that has dominoed into a disaster,” Mantello said. “So, saying that, it's a huge priority of mine bigger picture to get DOT, to get Brunswick, to get the city of Troy to literally sit down take a step back because more development’s going to happen in Brunswick, which is only going to make this issue even more critical.”
The Republican says she is planning for a citywide striping program to improve and place more crosswalks across the city.
Where Hoosick Street meets Route 7 and intersects with 8th St., panhandlers gather daily with signs, trying to get drivers to give them money, food, and more. Mantello say for the safety of everyone, it has to come to an end.
“It's not meant to hang out. It's not meant to walk. And now I actually saw a wheelchair, a person in a wheelchair, on the south side of that border, trying to flag down motorists on the north side. It just can't happen. It is a nightmare, tragedy waiting to happen.”
In 2020, the Capital District Transportation Committee presented a final report for “Hoosick Street between River Street and Lavin Court, and in the Hillside North and South neighborhood including 8th, 9th, 10th, and 15th streets.” It was meant to show improvements that could be made to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety and further connect residents with the downtown.
The study finds the road is home to large amounts of through traffic that is key to travel for some Western Vermonters and New Yorkers.
The study was built on several previous ones that focused on the isolation of neighborhoods along Hoosick Street due to increased traffic and opportunities for development. The latest study looked at zoning, land use, pedestrian infrastructure, and vehicle operations in and around Hoosick Street. It found traffic volume is consistent between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., carrying roughly 2,000 vehicles per hour.
Suggestions included transportation route alternatives, traffic-calming measures like reducing the speed limit or adding medians, and enhancements and additions of park space and pedestrian crossings.
Troy City Councilors whose districts border the road say they are aware of congestion issues in this part of the city and are interested in looking into remediation efforts. Aaron Vera, the city’s former engineer and new Democratic city councilor in District 4, which runs from River Street to 10th Street, says the study has some viable options.
“I think we'd also have to probably seek some grant funding in order to do some of the larger recommendations,” Vera said. “But many of them seem like they would they would fit within the current CHIPS funding that's available.”
Republican Ryan Brosnan of District 2, which runs north between River Street and 10th Street, says improving lighting and cleaning up side streets could improve safety.
“There's not enough lighting, and there's not enough pedestrian walkways. And another big issue there’s speeding. I think people are getting frustrated when you're sitting at those red lights to take a ton of time. And then there's just a pile up of cars. It's just a mess of a road.”
And Katie Spain-McLaren of District 3, which encapsulates everything after 10th St. to Mt. Pleasant Avenue, says some recommendations in the 2020 study are cost-prohibitive. The Democrat says some fault falls on the public.
“I think what we need to do is say, look, it is what it is,” Spain-McLaren said. “The city will work with DOT to make the improvements that we can, such as you know, aligning the traffic signals, so that things will go more smoothly, such as modernizing the crosswalk and pedestrian crossings. But in the meantime, here's what the public can do. Mind the speed limit. Don't make unsafe turns.”
In 2021, the CDTC released a technical memorandum to further explain the impacts of residential and commercial developments on the city and its surrounding neighborhoods including the Towns of Schaghticoke and Brunswick.
The road rarely has a dull moment, according to Marisa Damiano, who lives in Brunswick and commutes to Saratoga Springs for work. Damiano hopes officials in the Town of Brunswick start to think about the effect commercial business has on residents.
“It used to be like only the weekdays, at rush hour once I merged right after Walgreens; I could just shoot straight up to my house behind Walmart,” Damiano said. And it was a relief to get past Walgreens. But now, it's honestly the worst part of the drive. So, I find myself driving into neighboring neighborhoods, Sycaway for example to bypass Hoosick Street.”
Brunswick Town Supervisor Philip Herrington did not respond to requests for comment.
