Schumer: Implementing Fed Safety Audit's Recommendations Would Make Intersection Safer, Save Lives

Statement

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Road Safety Audit team consisting of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and local officials, will soon release their findings and recommendations after conducting a safety audit at the intersection of Route 96B and Route 79. In June 2014, a tractor-trailer lost control and barreled through this intersection, slamming into Simeon's restaurant on the Commons pedestrian mall in Ithaca. The crash killed one person and injured seven others. Following the deadly accident, Schumer called on the FHWA to work with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to conduct a federal audit, known as a Road Safety Audit (RSA), to analyze the intersection, the design of the roads, traffic flow and patterns and other characteristics to identify improvements that could be made in order to avoid another tragic accident. Schumer said the preliminary draft report has been completed and the final report is forthcoming. Schumer said once the final report is released, he will work with the FHWA and NYSDOT to implement the RSA's recommendations. In addition, he renewed his push to have the FHWA prioritize federal funding needed to make these recommendations a reality once they have been determined.

"The tragic crash at Simeon's Restaurant served as a wake-up call that the east end of the Ithaca Commons needs a safety overhaul. That is why I called on the FHWA and NYSDOT to work with local officials to conduct a federal road safety audit to inspect the road, traffic flow and signage so they could make improvements to the road and avoid future accidents," said Schumer. "With the news that the final report's recommendations are forthcoming, I am pushing the federal government to prioritize the funding needed to make implementing these recommendations a reality. I look forward to reading the final report and working to make this intersection safer for the people who pass through it each day."

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