SCHUMER LAUNCHES PUSH FOR MILLIONS TO FIX UTICA’S INFAMOUSLY OUTDATED TRAFFIC SIGNALS BY SEEKING FED GREENLIGHT FOR MUCH-NEEDED SAFETY UPGRADES ALONG GENESEE STREET & DOWNTOWN UTICA

Schumer Is Pushing To Unlock Bipartisan Infrastructure $$ To Pilot A Network of Smart Traffic Signals Along Genesee Street – Which Is Heavily Traveled Each Day By Thousands Of Vehicles & Pedestrians

Senator Personally Called & Wrote Transportation Sec Buttigieg To Urge Funding To Support Utica’s Street-Safety Upgrade Plan

Schumer: Fed $$ Can Greenlight Safer & More Efficient Streets For Utica

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer launched his push for millions in federal funding to fix the infamous and outdated Genesee Street traffic signals in the City of Utica. Schumer is pushing for Utica to receive funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law he championed for passage to pilot the latest in smart-traffic signals along Genesee Street, which local officials say will reduce traffic and accidents while strengthening safety for motorists and pedestrians along this busy corridor.

“Modernizing Utica’s out-of-sync and aged traffic-signal system with a cutting-edge and efficient one is a win-win-win that will reduce traffic wait times, increase safety and boost downtown Utica’s economy,” said Schumer.

“Ask any Utican who drives down Genesee St. and they will tell you the outdated traffic lights can not only be frustrating, but downright dangerous. That’s why I’m pushing the federal Department of Transportation and Secretary Buttigieg to greenlight Utica’s excellent plan to increase safety & revamp this corridor with a new network of cutting-edge, smart-traffic signals,” said Senator Schumer. “The current lights are ancient, slow and out of synch, causing increased traffic, accidents, wait times, and headache for thousands of vehicles and pedestrians who travel through downtown Utica every day. We have the technology to pave the way for a smoother and safer commute for all, and I want Utica to access the program I created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make it happen. Enough with the hair-pulling Genesee Street red light headaches, it’s time to put Utica in the fast lane for a transportation transformation.”

“With downtown Utica bustling with increasing residential and commercial activity, the need for a state-of-the-art, technology-driven traffic signaling system has never been greater. This upgrade is not only crucial for maintaining an efficient civic center but also vital for ensuring public safety. Proper traffic control safeguards pedestrians, facilitates business operations, and supports timely emergency responses,” said City of Utica Mayor Michael P. Galime. “Senator Schumer’s unwavering commitment to this long-overlooked issue is the driving force behind the modernization efforts our growing city urgently needs. Thanks to his advocacy, a complete upgrade extending from the Oriskany St interchange straight through the congestion in the heart of South Utica is within our reach. Securing federal funding for this project would be an unparalleled win for our City.?”

Schumer said the aging stop lights on Genesee Street have plagued the Utica residents for years. Phase one of the city’s planned multi-phase upgrade was completed in 2012, but unfortunately officials later reported that there was not enough funding for traffic signal synchronization or timing. Over a decade later, many Genesee Street traffic signals are still out-of-time and frustrating Uticans every day. It can take 15 minutes or more to travel the length of Genesee Street in a car, causing traffic delays that drive vehicles off the city’s main drag and onto side streets.

Schumer is now calling on the feds to support the City of Utica’s plans to upgrade these traffic signals through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Program. The senator recently called and wrote Secretary Pete Buttigieg to advocate for funding which Utica has been seeking.  

A copy of Schumer’s letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg can be found here.

With funding, Schumer said Utica could install and pilot dozens of new, state-of-the-art, smart traffic signals along a 2-mile street of Genesee Street and a continuous 5-block offshoot of Bleecker and Elizabeth Streets, supporting key partner locations like Utica Fire Station #2, Utica’s nationally recognized refugee agency (The Center), Utica’s public transit hub (CENTRO), the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and more. Utica’s smart traffic signals will include long sought after synchronization, connectivity, and other smart city features, including:

1. Emergency preemption with multi-level right of way for fire, police, snowplow, and transit vehicles
2. 360-degree video detection for vehicles and pedestrians
3. Pedestrian crossing accessibility features, such as audio / visual cues and passive detection
4. Data collection and analysis tools to enhance planning, engineering, management and traffic study

According to the NYS Sheriff’s Association, 38% of pedestrian-involved crashes and nearly 20% of all crashes in the City of Utica occur along this corridor. Schumer highlighted that the city expects new smart signals to have a wide range of benefits, including improving emergency response times, reducing traffic and wait times at traffic lights, and strengthening safety to reduce pedestrian injuries and crashes. Across the pilot zone, local officials project:

1. Reducing emergency response times up to 25%
2. Reducing overall traffic and vehicle travel time up to 25%
3. Reducing overall vehicle wait time up to 35%
4. Reducing pedestrian-involved traffic injuries up to 25%
5. Reducing traffic incidents up to 20%
6. Reducing emissions up to 21%
7. Reducing fuel consumption up to 10%

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act included $100 million appropriated annually over five years (FY22-26) for the SMART grant program, which was established to provide grants to eligible public sector agencies to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems in order to improve transportation efficiency and safety.

Schumer has long been a champion for transportation projects in the City of Utica. This past June, Senator Schumer delivered $4,613,276 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded Federal Highway Administration Transpiration Alternatives Program for the City of Utica’s Broad Street Corridor Project. In 2022, Schumer secured an $18.2 million grant through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program for Utica’s North Genesee Street Gateway Bridge & Multi-Modal Connector Project. In 2016, Schumer successfully unlocked $1.8 million in federal funds through the Federal Highway Administration and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) that were previously secured for an obsolete project and blocked for reuse.

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