Route 121 'Big Dig' Could Create Summer Traffic Chaos In Westchester

NORTH SALEM, NY — A clogged travel artery could cause traffic heartache for drivers in northern Westchester County in the coming weeks.

North Salem Supervisor Warren Lucas announced on Tuesday that for most of the summer, at least one lane of Route 121 will be closed.

The NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) will soon begin working on a large cement culvert beneath Route 121 around the southern portion of Peach Lake, specifically at the Pietsch Garden Cooperative at Cottage Ln.

The contractor is scheduled to start positioning heavy equipment over the next couple of weeks. The work is scheduled to take up to four months to complete. During that time, the roadway will have one lane open most of the time. However, there will be a three-week period when both lanes of Route 121 will be closed.

Traffic will be routed using regular and digital signs at nearby intersections.

Lucas said that the detour is expected to affect local and commuter traffic sending them north to Route 6 and morning commuter traffic from exit 21 on I-84 north to Route 6 to Starr Ridge Road and down Starr Ridge Road to Bloomer Road. The detour will also be sending that traffic back into Connecticut over Starr Ridge Road and much of it will also take Route 116 into Connecticut.

A map of this detour can be seen here.

The supervisor said that the work is necessary because the beams supporting the current roadway are collapsing. Currently, a small metal plate is in place to help support the side of the southbound lane.

Lucas said that a meeting was held with the DOT and the contractor last Friday at the 66 June Road facility, along with members of the Croton Falls Fire Department (CFFD), North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the North Salem Police Department (NSPD). He said they were disheartened since the original estimate the DOT gave them called for a two-week complete closure but has since been updated to a three-week complete closure.

The supervisor said that the longer closure will have a greater impact for emergency services and their ability to cover the east side of Peach Lake in the event of a crisis. The CFFD will be requesting stepped-up mutual aid coverage from the Brewster Fire Department and the Danbury Fire Department while the road remains closed.

The hamlet of Peach Lake is located in both North Salem (Westchester County) and the town of Southeast (Putnam County).