Mayor: Permit Allows Vestal Road Closure Through December 1

No date has been set for reopening a busy Vestal route that's been closed to two-way traffic for more than three years.

Westbound drivers have not been able to use Vestal Road near Binghamton University since May 2016 because of construction at the Binghamton-Johnson City Joint Sewage Treatment Plant.

Officials had said the road would be closed for a two-year period.

Binghamton Mayor Richard David said a state Department of Transportation permit allows the city "to keep that road closed up until December 1 of 2019."

Vestal town supervisor John Schaffer last month said the closure of the county-controlled roadway "has gone on for too long."

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now, David said the city has "not been working with anyone from the town of Vestal or the county to get the road open."

The mayor said "it is our intention to keep the road closed" for the time allowed by the state permit.

David said the city will work with the county to review what repair work will be needed before Vestal Road can be reopened. The westbound lanes now are filled with construction equipment and offices for the sewage treatment plant project.

Town supervisor Schaffer wasn't happy with David's comments. He said the road remains closed with no agreement or notification with the town.

Schaffer said "it's a shame they think they're above the law."

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

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