Note from the Village - The following is the Proposed Traffic Mitigation for the Rivertowns Square project, as presented by the Developer's Traffic Consultant.  All Traffic Simulation videos are available on the Village YouTube Channel, with playlists linked at the bottom of this article.

On-Site Roadway Improvements

Ogden Lane (Ogden Avenue Extension)
One of the major traffic mitigation components of the proposed redevelopment of the site is the reutilization and modification of the former Ogden Lane between Danforth Avenue and the Village of Dobbs Ferry Department of Public Works (DPW) facility. The new roadway will provide an opportunity for DPW vehicles to travel to and from Ogden Avenue without traveling along Danforth Avenue and Livingstone Avenue. Thus, the DPW traffic will no longer cut across Lawrence Street when entering and exiting the site. The applicant has coordinated closely with the DPW to ensure that the roadway is designed to meet the needs of the DPW and improve the slopes travelled by the DPW vehicles. The roadway also provides an opportunity for vehicles along Ogden Avenue which do not desire to travel to the site to by-pass the various uses within the site. The relocated Ogden Avenue will intersect the improved Lawrence Street and Livingstone Avenue at a proposed modern roundabout which will calm traffic.

Lawrence Street and Saw Mill River Parkway
The project will also improve local traffic circulation by modifying awkwardly configured roadways. For example, the Lawrence Street eastbound approach to the intersection with the Saw Mill River Parkway is atypical. The Lawrence Street eastbound stop bar is located on the west side of Stanley Avenue, which runs parallel to and just west of the parkway, and is also controlled by the signal at the parkway. Stanley Avenue provides access from the Village DPW maintenance building to Lawrence Street. West of Stanley Avenue, Lawrence Street is a one-way eastbound roadway which provides a right turn lane to Stanley Avenue southbound as well as a single approach lane to the parkway. Vehicles from the parkway and the eastern leg of Lawrence Street must make an immediate turn onto Stanley Avenue just west of the parkway. The existing geometry and traffic patterns are less than ideal and vehicles, including DPW vehicles, periodically get trapped and block the box within the Lawrence Street/ Stanley Avenue intersection.

The existing Chauncey Square/ Starbucks Driveway at Lawrence Street is located only approximately 40 feet west of Stanley Avenue and worsens the intersection’s performance due to the fact that vehicles exiting the Starbucks driveway onto Lawrence Street eastbound oftentimes force their way into the queue along Lawrence Street and disrupt the operations of the approach. (See Saw Mill River Parkway and Lawrence Street and Stanley Avenue exhibit.)

As part of the project, it is recommended that the Lawrence Street eastbound approach be improved from the existing single lane to provide three eastbound lanes directly to the Saw Mill River Parkway and that the southern portion of Stanley Avenue be removed. The eastbound approach would provide a separate left turn lane, a shared left/ thru lane and a separate right turn lane. The westbound Lawrence Street approach is recommended to be improved to provide two thru lanes with shared left and right turns. The signal phasing for Lawrence Street would be revised to be split phasing. The improvements would substantially increase the capacity of the intersection. It is also recommended that Lawrence Street be improved to provide two westbound lanes between the parkway and the proposed roundabout, thereby providing direct access to the site. Vehicles exiting the Chauncey Square driveway at Lawrence Street will make convenient right turns onto Lawrence Street and proceed to the roundabout to return towards the Parkway or other roadways as desired. The signal phasing and timing modifications include providing additional green time to the northbound left turn lane along the Saw Mill River Parkway. A force-off detector is recommended along the Saw Mill River Parkway northbound left turn lane to minimize queuing beyond the left turn lane.

The project will mitigate the impact which would otherwise occur at the Lawrence Street intersections with the Saw Mill Parkway and Stanley Avenue. The improved intersection is anticipated to work within the capacities of the lane groups without excessive delays. The related improvements to Lawrence Street west of the parkway, the proposed roundabout and the relocation/ extension of Ogden Avenue will provide a more direct route for motorists not destined to the Site.

Intersection delays at the Lawrence Street/ Saw Mill River Parkway will be reduced with the additional capacity provided by the improvements. For example, during the Peak weekday PM hour, the intersection delays will be red uced from level of service F with a delay of more than 107 seconds without Rivertowns Square and its associated improvements to level of service D with a delay of 43 seconds with the redevelopment and the improvements.

In summary, the proposed improvements to Lawrence Street west and east of the parkway, the proposed roundabout and the relocation/ extension of Ogden Avenue will provide substantial additional capacity as well as a safer and more direct route for future customers as well as other motorists which are not associated with the site.

Livingstone Avenue and Stanley Avenue
Existing traffic circulation on the local streets in and around Chauncey Square involves vehicles traveling north on Stanley Avenue, a one-way roadway, and making a left turn north of Chauncey Square onto Danforth Avenue to Livingston Avenue, which is a one-way southbound roadway. The existing one-way traffic pattern is circuitous and undesirable. The proposed improvements in the vicinity of the site include converting Livingstone Avenue, as well as the majority of Stanley Avenue to two-way roadways.