HOOSICK, N.Y. (NEWS10) – One of the area’s busiest roads shut down by the Department of Transportation for emergency repairs. State Route 7 in Hoosick is not open to traffic right now as crews look to replace a damaged culvert.
Route 7 is closed and blocked off the detour signs are in place and it’s taking travelers through the Village of Hoosick Falls.
The village folks here are already seeing that increased traffic flow.
“It’s a lot of traffic and we typically don’t have any traffic and there’s been you know traffic like backups today right out in front on Main Street which typically we don’t have,” said Maggie, owner Maggie’s Beauty Shop.
Officer Paul Aleksonis with the Village of Hoosick Falls Police department says village safety is concern number one.
“With the school buses and the additional traffic, they’re going to encounter people [and they] are going to just have to use caution until the situation gets resolved,” said Aleksonis.
The Hoosick Town Supervisor, Mark Surdam, has another concern.
“The tractor trailers are probably the biggest concern because they are going to have the biggest issue,” said Surdam.
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin saying he is confident in the D.O.T. getting the work done timely and has a message for county residents.
“We just want to make sure everybody’s able to get around, or conveniently as they can and as safely as they can, and I think that’s being achieved as we speak,” said McLaughlin.
The culvert on Route 7 carries the overflow water from the Hoosick River and it was that water flow from our latest rainstorm that caused damage to the system.
Joseph Morrissey with D.O.T. sent the following statement regarding the closure:
“The Department of Transportation is currently on the scene along with contractor staff assessing the situation in preparation for a full replacement of the culvert on Route 7. We have not yet determined the cause of this occurrence and do not have an estimate on specific costs at this time. The Department has concrete box culverts set aside for situations just like this and we are preparing to bring them on site, which will allow us to accelerate these repairs and resume operations on the road. We will keep the public informed on progress as this work moves forward.”
There is no estimated time of repair, and a complete list of the detours can be found on our website. We will continue to follow the latest developments and bring you updates both on-air and online at NEWS10.com.
