Coddington Road Maximum 10' Lanes, 4' Shoulders

We, the undersigned, support the reconstruction of Coddington Road in the Town of Ithaca with maximum 10-foot travel lanes and 4-foot paved shoulders (a maximum 28-foot road width). We oppose the current design for a 30-foot width. In addition to this design adding 50\% more pavement (over 3.75 acres) to Coddington Road, it would significantly straighten and flatten the road, cost more, necessitate the taking of more adjacent private property, kill more trees and vegetation, displace more wildlife, result in more contaminated stormwater runoff, make existing speeding problems worse, and severely impact the neighborhoods and homes throughout the project corridor (many of which are historic in nature), negatively impacting the quality of life of hundreds of residents, and our community at-large.

Tompkins County and NYSDOT have not provided evidence that widening the road beyond 28-feet will result in any safety benefits whatsoever. Safety records for Coddington Road show that existing concerns would be addressed by adding 4-foot shoulders to the existing 10-foot lane width.

We support sensibly-scaled roads that safely meet the needs of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, while prioritizing neighborhood preservation. Tompkins County should advance a 28-foot maximum design to NYSDOT for review on its merits , as the safety history, traffic counts, neighborhood character, economic considerations and growth projections justify it.

We reject the one-size-fits-all approach to road planning being advanced throughout Tompkins County. Therefore, we resolve to protect the Coddington neighborhood, so that it can serve as an example of balanced community planning, and set a precedent against wasteful, destructive and divisive future proposals before they proliferate throughout the greater Ithaca area.