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Improvements coming to Union Road intersection

Mike Desmond
/
WBFO News

The New York State Department of Transportation wants to make some changes at the tangled intersection of Route 33 and Union Road. While traffic snarls frequently at the location, safety issues are a larger concern. A teenager was killed there while riding her bike in 2018.

Officials report 25,000 cars a day go through that section of Union Road, between Genesee Street and George Urban Boulevard. Confusing lane shifts and high speeds create unsafe situations.

"We're going to be replacing the signal systems around that intersection," said Susan Surdej, the DOT's public information officer.

"More importantly, they're going to carry lane destination signs to people can line up in the proper lane and know where they need to go, well ahead of when they have to cut over at the last minute."

The $1.2 million plan also calls for resurfacing part of Union Road.

"I was hoping for a different configuration because you've got the on and the off. It's a very small window of opportunity for people to get in the right lane," said Judy Eckle, a teaching assistant in the Cleveland Hill district, who says she knew the student who was killed in 2018 near the intersection.

The project is set for next year. Until then, Surdej urges common sense.

"It's always important to realize that everybody has responsibilities when they are using the roads. Motorists have responsibilities. Pedestrians have responsibilities. Bicyclist have responsibilities," Surdej said. 

"Everybody needs to know what their responsibilities are and follow the rules of the road, accordingly."

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.