By Josh Holfoth
OSWEGO, NY – The construction along route 104 that has been going on since July of 2016 has become an unwelcome visitor to local home owner Frank Palmer.
The traffic congestion along with the loud noises and dust from construction Palmer said has brought him other residents problems for the last two years.
The 4 mile strip of the state road stretching from the SUNY Oswego campus entrance, west, the route 104A intersection in southwest Oswego is getting widened 2 feet on either side. New drainage gutters and culverts are also being built along with the road getting repaved.
Project engineer for the state department of transportation Frank Brosch oversees the project. Brosch says the improvements being made to the road will make it safer as there has been problems with this in the past. One of the main reasons Brosch said for widening the road was because many tractor trailers were going off the road into ditches in that area. Widening the shoulder of the road will create a safer environment for traffic and tractor trailers; despite this Frank Palmer said he is still skeptical about how much safer it will actually be because of the faster speeds the trucks will be more inclined to go.
After more than a year the majority of the work on the $14 million dollar project is done. Despite some weather delays this past spring the better weather now means the roadwork should be done by the end of December.