New York State Department of Transportation has announced that work is underway on a $8.3 million project to replace concrete barriers and portions of guide-rail along three segments of State Route 73 in the towns of Keene and North Elba, Essex County.
The project includes a stretch of Route 73 along Upper and Lower Cascade Lakes through the Adirondack High Peaks that is part of the annual Lake Placid Ironman course. Work will be completed by late fall, ahead of the Lake Placid 2023 International University Sports Federation World University Games coming this January.
Route 73 through Keene and North Elba is a scenic road through the Adirondacks. It is a major connector between the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87) and the Village of Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.
The work along Route 73 will occur near Bullet Pond, approximately 2.2 miles north of the intersection with U.S. Route 9; between Chapel Pond and Ausable Road; and along Upper and Lower Cascade Lakes.
The barriers were installed in the early 2000s to replace masonry roadside barriers. A DOT press release about the work says the surface underneath the barriers has deteriorated, necessitating the new installations.
Work will include new pavement on these segments of Route 73. Shoulders will be four feet wide on both sides of Route 73 along Upper and Lower Cascade Lakes, which is a stretch of road frequently used by cyclists training for the Ironman competition and pedestrians accessing trail heads.
Site preparations are underway at all three locations, with weekday daytime traffic currently operating with alternating flows controlled by flaggers; this will continue as necessary through the end of April. Once site preparations are completed, motorists should watch for traffic to be reduced to a single alternating lane controlled by temporary traffic signals along these portions of Route 73.
Work along the Cascade Lakes will pause and the road will be fully open during the annual Lake Placid Ironman competition in July. Work and alternating traffic will then resume along this stretch until project completion, scheduled by late this autumn.
Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver license.
For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.
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