NORWICH – The City of Norwich Common Council unanimously approved an agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) at a special meeting on Monday, which will bring the city five new pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights, a new mid-way crosswalk in front of NBT Bank, and a non-pedestrian controlled crosswalk across Route 12 south of Front Street at no cost to city taxpayers.

The pedestrian controlled crosswalk lights will be added to four existing crosswalks on Route 12: in front of McDonalds, by the turn for Beebe Avenue, by Nina's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, by the Norwich Family YMCA, and also at a new mid-way crosswalk that will exist in front of NBT Bank.

"We do not want to see anybody get hit. It's a public safety issue and we're really glad that New York State wanted to work with us on this in coming up with a new design," said City of Norwich Alderman Ward 6 Robert Jeffrey, noting that particularly the crosswalk in front of NBT Bank has seen too many accidents and near-misses in recent history.

The agreement will result in a new mid-way crosswalk on Route 12 between the NBT Bank Main Branch and Operations Center. It will have pedestrian controlled light and a mid-way section so that pedestrians won't have to cross both lands of traffic in one go. Although it will result in the loss of two parking spaces, Jeffrey said it's a much needed update, not just for NBT Bank employees, but also for residents and visitors of Norwich.

"There's been a lot of people who have been almost hit by cars there, so there's been a big concern over there for public safety, not just for people who work at NBT but also for just the general public," said Jeffrey. "There's a lot of people who utilize that in the summer, whether they go out for walks or they're out on jogs, and there's a lot of kids that might want to walk into town, have access to the movie theater and grab dinner or lunch down in our city, and we don't want anyone to get hit."

Jeffrey said the opportunity came about because NYS DOT is overlooking all of Route 12 in Region 9, a region in which the City of Norwich is located. NYS DOT conducted a survey in Summer 2018 before contacting the city in December to say plans for the project were finalized, and the city – along with its Traffic Commission, the NBT Bank Facilities and Security Divisions, Norwich Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Burlison, and the state employee and engineer overseeing the project, Danielle Besso – worked fast to come up with a plan for the new mid-way crossing to be included.

"It's going to cost us absolutely nothing," said Jeffrey. "The New York State Department of Transportation is going to come in and do all the work." He said based upon meetings, the DOT will start the project in April or May and should be finished by mid- or end of summer.