Following an on-site visit to State Route 67 (Church Street) in the City of Amsterdam, Assemblyman Santabarbara is calling for $900,000 in this year’s state budget to build a safer, more reliable road, critical to ensuring public safety for local residents in Amsterdam.

In addition to the funding, Assemblyman Santabarbara, who is a civil engineer by trade, outlined a 5-point plan to address on-going concerns from a number of Church Street residents that contacted his office. Some residents expressed concerns about excessive speeds, constant noise and significant vibrations throughout the day and through the night. Residents also expressed concerns of possible structural damage to their homes that could occur if the problem persists. Santabarbara recently toured the area, walked the street, took photographs of the road damage, and met with residents.

Following his visit Santabarbara’s summarized the following plan:

1. Review and establish new speed limits and maximum weight limits;
2. Identifying alternate routes and re-routing heavy traffic from State Route 67;
3. Require strict enforcement of existing speed limits by the New York State Police;
4. Implement new signage and pedestrian safety features at strategic locations along Church Street;
5. Provide any additional training and equipment needed to help the Amsterdam Police Department enforce maximum weight limits.

“Beyond the funding needed to build a safer, more reliable road, we also need a plan to address public safety and quality of life for local families here in Amsterdam,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara.

Assemblyman Santabarbara has already scheduled an on-site meeting with the New York State Department of Transportation and is now scheduling similar meetings with the Amsterdam Police Department and the New York State Police. “This is something that needs our immediate attention,” Santabarbara said “We must help communities like Amsterdam address emergency infrastructure needs like this and we cannot wait.”