SAMA is a study (circa 2005-2006) that had as its genesis the work that the Saugerties Village Traffic Committee has done, to look at traffic concerns in the Village. Judith Spektor heads this committee, which also includes:
- Vernon Benjamin
- Diana Bryan
- Barbara Budik
- Brian Donoghue
- John Dragun
- Richard Frisbie
- Josepha Gutelius
- Jeff Helmuth
- Mary Leahy
- Dave Minch
- Leeanne Thornton
- Ron LeBlanc
The SAMA study picked up where the traffic committee's work left off, and is an expanded analysis by transportation/traffic consultants (Creighton Manning Engineering and BFJ Planning), in cooperation with Saugerties representatives (Judith Spektor, Mike Campbell, Carol Furman, Leeanne Thornton, Alex Wade, and Richard Frisbie), the Ulster County planner (Dennis Doyle), Ulster County Transportation Council (UCTC) staff (Bill Tobin and Tom Mank), NYS Dept. of Transportation officials, a Thruway official, and others. The study was paid for by Federal funds (not by Village or Town taxes).
The study began in the Fall of 2005 and is a 2-year study. The first public meeting was held in the Senior Citizens Center, on January 25th, 2006 and was one of the most successful meetings and one of the largest turnouts ever experienced by the consultants and the UCTC staff. The full final report is available on this UCTC Web page. And links to the Final Report and Appendix file are available under "Documents" below.
The 2nd public meeting was held July 20th, 2006 and the presentation from the consultants that was used at that meeting is available below, in PDF format.
There is an ongoing committee (Saugerties Transportation Advisory Council) that continues to look into SAMA-related and transportation implementation opportunities for Ulster County municipalities, including Saugerties (Town and Village).
Additional Initiative to Reduce Large Truck Traffic on Local Roads
In the list of documents below, you can find a report made available at a public meeting held in Syracuse, NY, (September 2, 2008) on the topic of reducing large truck traffic on local roads. Saugerties is actively involved in this effort, which began in the Finger Lakes region and is supported by both Senator Chuck Schumer and Governor Patterson.
You can download the full final report and its appendix below (approx. 3 MB).