The highway that directly abuts Colgate University’s campus, New York State Route 12B, will undergo major reconstruction in Spring 2027 to improve its safety. Passing through Madison County, the state highway connects Oneida County in the north to Chenango County in the south. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) began the project in 2023 with preliminary research on which intersections along the route should be altered to be safer and more efficient. Incorporating both the community output and their preliminary info, the team is expected to end their construction in Summer 2028 with an estimated cost of $27 million.
The Hamilton Village Historic District includes approximately 160 properties of mainly residential buildings as well as commercial centers, churches and common spaces like the Village green. This specific corridor of the 12B route has been identified as having a crash rate that exceeded the average for a similar type of facility within the state, warranting an investigation and capital investment to remedy the safety issue. The project, beginning from near Community Memorial Hospital to Hotel One75, aims to address deteriorated pavement and storm drainage, reduce car crashes and enhance the overall safety for all members of the community.
First-year Luna Holzinger hopes that the project will make it safer for Colgate students walking through Hamilton.
“I think that fixing roads could not only reduce crashes but also make it safer for pedestrians and college students,” Holzinger said. “A lot of the time, the roads are confusing and you do not know where the cars are coming from, so I think it could potentially make it safer for us walking.”
In particular, a critical construction site within the plan is the five-way intersection on Lebanon Street. This intersection provides access to major areas for students and Hamilton residents, such as the Village Green, Hamilton Movie Theater (7 Lebanon St.) and the Colgate Inn (5 Payne St.). With a variety of design alternatives, the team plans to make the left-hand turn clearer for drivers while adding more parking.
Sophomore Jenna Palubeckis emphasized the importance of the project for streamlining the busy five-way intersection in town.
“I’m hoping that it makes it less dangerous overall trying to get around town, especially because there are a lot of students walking,” Palubeckis said. “I hope it makes it more clear as to where to go on [Lebanon] street.”
Former Village of Hamilton trustee and 40-year resident Sam Cooper took it upon himself to ensure the construction project incorporated meaningful community input, careful attention to detail and results grounded in data. Towards the beginning of the project, the NYSDOT held four public meetings with 75 attendees who shared their ideas and questions about the initial plans.
However, with over 4,000 residents in Hamilton, Cooper found it necessary to create alternative ways to engage a larger audience. He wrote 14 articles on the Hamilton Nextdoor platform, outlining major components of the projects and whether they made sense for the village based on research. Cooper worked with Cornell University’s Design Connect, a student-run organization that helps municipalities achieve their designs.
“I am not a civil engineer, but I do believe in data and research,” Cooper said. “Based upon my observations of other rotaries that the state has rebuilt, I asked, ‘Is there an alternative that is better for the village, more protective of the village or less costly?’”
While Cooper felt that many of the team’s designs were appropriate, some alternatives would take better account of resident experiences.
Specifically, the crosswalk next to Huntington Gym has a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB), which pedestrians can push to light up the street, the only beacon crosswalk in town. Cooper encountered a resident who said that they almost hit someone on the crosswalk near Kinney’s Pharmacy. In addition to adding more beacons, Cooper encourages the state to install a type that does not need to be pushed but is simply activated when someone steps on.
“I believe that just putting the [RRFB] in is not enough,” Cooper said. “I’ve sat down by Huntington Gym and seen too many students and adults who do not use the button, and we are fortunate that we haven’t had a serious problem. For the person who doesn’t pay attention and doesn’t press the button, this would help them a lot.”
In hopes of increasing parking spots in the village, the NYSDOT proposed to create reverse diagonal parking spots on the north side of Lebanon Street. However, Cooper noted his apprehensions regarding the significant senior citizen population.
“Cornell’s research says that seniors, even in the most modern cars, do not like to use backup cameras,” Cooper said. “Second, they typically have trouble with their necks due to arthritis, so they cannot turn their heads too far left or right when they need to see what is coming when backing in.”
The outcome of Cooper’s articles was the NYSDOT’s reworking of design plans and acceptance of alternative ideas from community members. When asked if he was in favor of the project or not, Cooper explained that the state’s work will give Hamilton the space to fix other critical issues.
“The village has a responsibility to make the pipes under the road carry the water to the sewer, and some of the pipes are nearing 100 years old and frequently breaking. So while the state is digging up the road, this gives the village an opportunity to put in new pipes that are necessary,” Cooper said. “The answer is, this project is needed.”
