$10.2 Million Awarded to SRMT for Route 37 Improvements

By Isaac White.

The Planning and Infrastructure Division of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe made an announcement that it has been given a grant in the amount of $10,235,200 to improve the safety of drivers along a 4.2-mile stretch of Route 37. The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced on Enniska/February 1, 2023 that it will be using funding from the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program to redesign the roadway to add a center turning lane. These monies will be utilized to pay for the project.

"We are committed to providing and maintaining local roadways that are safe for the entire community and our visitors," shared Planning and Infrastructure Director Colleen Thomas. Thomas added, "With a large concentration of accidents occurring on Route 37, there is a need for safety improvements to address the serious, and often fatal, crashes that have taken place over the years. I thank our stakeholders for helping prepare and submit a successful plan to improve road safety -- especially our on-call engineering firm of AES Northeast and Lieutenant Ted Cook, who updated the Tribe's crash data with New York State's Department of Motor Vehicles."

The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program was formed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that was passed under the administration of Joe Biden. This program will receive $5 billion in authorized funding over the following five years. Grants are provided by the SS4A program to fund projects on the local, regional, and tribal levels that aim to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries that occur on the nation's roadways. The Implementation Grant that was given to the Tribe was one of the 37 that were given out.

The main road under the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's control, Route 37, traverses the territory from east to west. The road narrows from four lanes to two lanes as it leads east. According to the statement, rear-end collisions are the most common type of vehicle accidents, which are heavily concentrated due to backed-up traffic.

The Planning and Infrastructure Division of the SRMT further indicated it will be in charge of supervising the building of a 16-foot-wide center turning lane, two 12-foot-wide travel lanes in each direction, and a 5-foot-wide shoulder on either side of Route 37 to make it safer. A center turning lane will lessen the number of collisions involving turning vehicles and allow many homes, businesses, and government buildings to have better access to Route 37.

The majority of the work that needs to be done to improve the road's safety will be done within the right-of-way that has already been established. This right-of-way has a width of 50 feet in total and extends 25 feet from the center of the road on each side. The enhancements will cover a distance of 4.2 miles, beginning at the intersection of Route 95 and ending at Raquette Point Road. If there are any improvements that could have an effect on the properties in this corridor, the owners of those properties will be consulted.

"The federal infrastructure funds received for this long-needed improvement to Route 37 are vital to improve traffic safety through the busiest part of our community. Our Nation continues to grow and the new center turning lane will result in a safer community for everyone. This is wonderful news, and great work, by our Planning and Infrastructure Team to secure these important funds," shared SRMT Executive Director Tsiorasa Barreiro as part of the statement.

When the grant agreement between the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and the US Department of Transportation has been finalized, the Planning and Infrastructure Division of the SRMT will schedule a public meeting at which they will present the preliminary road safety improvements and answer any questions that may be raised.