Letter To The Editor: There is a need to make Route 85 safer

To the Editor,

Twice in the span of 12 months now, Bethlehem is coming together to grieve the loss of life due to a senseless motor vehicle crash on Route 85 near the City of Albany line. Our hearts go out to the family of the woman who lost her life as well as the community members who were involved in last week’s tragedy. I also want to express our deepest gratitude to the emergency responders and brave residents who quickly rushed in to deliver aid.

The Bethlehem Police Department has been aggressively undertaking traffic enforcement in this area for years, and the Town is relaunching the Bethlehem Safe Streets campaign to remind drivers to slow down on all of our roads.

But the recent spate of tragic accidents on Route 85 from the Blessing Road roundabout through and beyond the Town line suggests that engineering improvements are needed as well.  This is a State road, so the Town Board and I have formally requested that the NYS Department of Transportation assess and implement appropriate design changes to make this road section safer as quickly as possible.

Life can take a tragic turn in a second, so let us all please endeavor to stay vigilant on our roadways, and always to obey the posted speed limits.

David VanLuven, Town Supervisor
and Joyce Becker, Maureen Cunningham, David DeCancio, Tom Schnurr, Members of the Bethlehem Town Board

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