Truck Traffic on Broadway Being Addressed in New Study Underway This Month

SARATOGA SPRINGS —A new study underway this month may help to address a decades-long question related to the amount of large truck traffic in the downtown area and offer solutions about what the city can begin to do about it.    

The Capital Region Transportation Council (CRTC), in coordination with the city Mayor’s Office, will be conducting the truck traffic study to explore options for enhancing safety and improving traffic flow through the downtown corridor. 

The study will collect data on the number and classification of trucks traveling through the city, their routes, and speed. 

“This is (part of) a larger study of traffic in Saratoga County, and we’re able to be part of this study to determine the number and classification of trucks traveling through the city, their routes, and their speed,” Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim told the council Sept. 7. 

“Here’s the important part: we can’t do anything about the 53-foot trucks that ply our streets, particularly on Broadway, until we know what the volume is, where they’re coming from and where they’re going,” Mayor Kim said. “This is a study that will do that.” 

The following streets are potential areas of study: Broadway (U.S. Rte 9); Ballston Avenue (NY Rte 50); Church Street (NY Rte 9N); Finley/Adelphi Streets; Geyser Road; Lake Avenue (NY Rte 29); Union Avenue (NY Rte 9P); Van Dam Street; Washington Street (NY Rte 29).

Following the study, the CRTC will create a technical memo and outreach material, to help the city better understand truck traffic and what it can do to reduce it, particularly in the downtown area, Kim said.