Saugerties, NY  - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Saugerties officials today highlighted the construction project that was recently started to prevent traffic accidents at the dangerous intersection of Tissal Road and Kings Highway in Saugerties. Hinchey previously secured $500,000 from Congress for the project that will relocate the intersection by moving Tissal Road 1,200 feet north of its current location.

"The work being done to move Tissal Road further away from Kings Highway is an absolutely critical public safety initiative for which I was very pleased to secure $500,000 in funding from Congress," Hinchey said. "We've heard of far too many tragic accidents that could have been avoided had this dangerous intersection been designed differently. Well now, we are taking the steps needed to adjust this intersection so that trucks and other vehicles are not put in position where they are inadvertently exposed to being hit by an oncoming train or vehicular traffic. In addition to improving public safety, the federal dollars for this much-needed project will relieve Saugerties taxpayers of the expense associated with relocating Tissal Road."

A CSX rail line intersects Tissal Road in the Town of Saugerties, which serves as an entrance to the Northeast Solite plant. Much of the traffic along Tissal Road is from tractor-trailers entering and leaving the plant. The configuration of the intersection of Tissal Road and Kings Highway causes trucks waiting to exit Tissal Road onto Kings Highway to have much of their trailers sitting on the railroad tracks that intersect Tissal Road. Currently, trucks waiting to enter the Northeast Solite plant while a train is on the tracks are exposed to oncoming traffic on Kings Highway. The project will move Tissal Road further away from the Old Kings Highway intersection to help avoid future accidents.

On April 27, 2002, a train struck a truck that was entering the plant, killing the driver of the truck. On September 21, 2002, a train hit another truck as it was turning onto Tissal from Kings Highway. The funds announced today will cover the town's cost for moving the intersection 1,200 feet north to allow for a safer intersection.

Hinchey secured the funds from Congress as part of the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU) measure, which is a major transportation projects bill.