Two years after the first roundabouts were completed on Raymond Avenue in the Town of Poughkeepsie, local residents will again encounter construction on the road this summer.
That’s when the state will begin work on a third roundabout on the street, at the intersection of Raymond, Collegeview and Fulton avenues. The new installation will join two others that opened in 2006, at Vassar College’s main gate and the Raymond/College avenue intersection.
Preliminary work on the project will begin next week, and the state Department of Transportation estimates that work will be finished by December.
In a March 31 release, DOT officials announced that the contract for the $6.5 million project was awarded to Green Island Contracting LLC, a Glenmont-based firm.
In addition to the roundabout, which will replace the Collegeview/Fulton traffic signal, this phase of work will include a full reconstruction of Raymond Avenue, including drainage, lighting and sidewalk improvements, a reconfiguration of Collegeview Avenue to provide parallel parking on both sides of the road and a reconfiguration of the intersection of Hooker and Raymond avenues, eliminating a ramp used for accessing Raymond with a designated right-turn lane.
In addition to the roundabouts, the project has also brought new streetlights, landscaping and sidewalks to the Arlington Business District, adjacent to the college.
Work won’t affect motorists until lane closures begin in the summer. Although the project will not involve detours, DOT officials said drivers should be prepared for lane closures and traffic stoppages as work progresses.