If you want to reduce stress 6.8% take a scenic drive down Rt.
41A. You'll have to do it soon before the road is clogged up
with 10 trash trucks an hour 5 days a week.
Once the concrete bridge in the village of Skaneateles is closed for
repairs, trucks hauling trash (yours and mine) to Seneca Meadows
landfill, may choose Rt. 41A as their alternate route.
The bridge is badly corroded; structural repairs seem imminent.
Speaking of stress, how much more traffic can this little bridge take?
Our roving reporter took some pictures of the
underside of the bridge. The pictures speak for themselves.
We asked a man at a diner in Seneca Falls where the Seneca Meadows
landfill was. About 4 miles out on Route 414, he said. "You can't
miss the big bumps. The State gives them anything they want. They're
making a second one now."
Seneca Meadows landfill receives solid waste, not only from NJ, but
from other states as well, as told to us by a truck driver we spoke
with in Magee, at a truck stop outside the landfill. Landfills are
good. We all contribute our share.
Joe: I live in Borodino on Route 41, and I've seen a dramatic increase
in truck traffic over the last few years. Should I sell my house?
Tom: No, it's inevitable they'll put weight limits on Rt. 41. Then
trucks won't be able to travel 41 anymore.
Joe: Will they take 41A (West Lake Road)?
Tom: They may, but it's hilly or 81 to the thruway.
Joe: Rt. 41 is not made for heavy truck traffic.
Tom agreed that Rt. 41 was not designed for constant
truck traffic, and said eventually all state roads will have weight
limits.
Joe: We live at the bottom of the hill and many neighbors ask me why
the trash trucks make so much noise coming down the hill.
Tom the truck driver said, "Yes, those are the
engine brakes. He showed us the 2- and 4- cylinder switches that turn
on the brakes as drivers descend a hill. The 2 stage brake you can't
even hear. It's the 4 stage that's the noisy one. It makes a popping
noise and that's what you hear."
We predict that stress levels will increase for truck drivers when the
bridge in the heart of Skaneateles is closed for lengthy repairs. But
they will enjoy their new scenic route on Rt. 41 A-- "the west
side of the lake."
Joe Vecc and Joyce Green
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UPDATE 8/6/02: According to the Skaneateles
Mayor's office, core samples have been taken of the bridge. Repairs
will begin next Summer '03.
Note: In 1999, OCRRA (Onondaga
County Resource Recovery Agency) extended the contract with Seneca
Meadows landfill for 10 more years, saving Onondaga county more than
$600,000 per year.
UPDATE 8/14/02 Joe Vecc's Overstressed
editorial can be seen on the Below Standard
page.
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