VILLAGE OF ARCADE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Local leaders in the Village and town of Arcade are sounding the alarm over dangerous road conditions, calling on the state to take urgent action.
Village of Arcade Mayor Donna Schiener shared a letter with residents stating officials are aware of deteriorating state roads, specifically Routes 39 and 98.
The mayor gathered a group of Wyoming County leaders to discuss the issue with 7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley, and they all shared the same frustration over a lack of response from the state Department of Transportation.
"It's a dangerous situation," Schiener said. "It's not a village problem. We can't fix it. It is DOT. It is a state problem. And this is why I called you, because we need to start making people aware that it has to be done."
Arcade is part of DOT’s Region 4 in the southwestern corner of Wyoming County. Schiener calls it the "forgotten corner" because every time they need something done, they have to beg.
Village of Arcade Police Chief Matthew Krist gave me a tour in his police cruiser along parts of Routes 39 and 98, pointing out problem areas. He said drivers are having to swerve to dodge potholes, sometimes drifting into the other lane to avoid them.
"All the center seems, all the missing of the pavement," Chief Krist said. "It's causing a hazard. They're swerving into other lanes. I'm afraid now that motorcycle season's here that we're going to end up having a situation where we have to deal with a severe injury or death, and that is not what it should be like."
Everyone around the table explained they have been dealing with this for years because past repairs never last, and now the roads are falling apart again.
WATCH: 'It's a dangerous situation': Arcade leaders urge DOT to fix state roads
"It needs more than a deep ‘mill and fill’ it needs. A lot of the subbases is shot, need to be dug up and replaced with new gravel," Town of Arcade Highway Superintendent Dennis Sanders said.
Village leaders say approximately 1,000 people who do not live in Arcade travel through to get to work.
The village is described by leaders as a ‘center of commerce’ for Wyoming County, with a large amount of agricultural truck traffic driving through. It is also a big tourism spot for the Arcade and Attica steam train, and each summer it attracts campers.
"The incoming road to the Village of Arcade is kind of like our welcoming mat, you know, and if you have poor road conditions, it kind of reflects on all of us as a community," Village of Arcade Superintendent of Public Works Andrew Bartz said.
"This road is so important not only to commerce, as well as tourism," Town of Arcade Supervisor Doug Berwanger said. "We get lost in the shuffle because we’re small, but not to us. We're not small. This is really an important area for the economic well-being of Wyoming County.”
Village of Arcade Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Derek Rule described trying to get the roads fixed as a constant battle with the DOT, with requests being ignored. Rule said a part of Route 39 also floods easily.
"The drainage needs to be addressed. Currently, Main Street floods very frequently. It doesn't take much of a rainstorm to make it flood, and when vehicles hit that water, it sends waves into other vehicles," Rule said
Mark Saladyga is the long-time owner of Marco's Pizza and Subs on Main Street in the village.
"These roads are awful, awful," Saladyga said. "It's pretty ridiculous to be paying the taxes that we pay, and to have to deal with this on a daily basis. "The road is just crap, and I don't know any other way to put it.”
Village leaders learned that this Friday, State Assemblyman David DiPietro will be in the village along with representatives of the DOT to discuss the poor road conditions.
The state DOT also issue the following statement to 7 News:
"The New York State Department of Transportation is aware of concerns raised about State Route 39 and State Route 98 in the Village of Arcade and is working with local officials to address their immediate concerns. In the meantime, NYSDOT will continue to provide maintenance as needed and is progressing a major road rehabilitation project, which is currently in the design."
New York State Department of Transportation
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