Meaghan M. McDermott

@meagmc



A state Department of Transportation project to make safety improvements to the intersection of Jefferson Road, Brighton Henrietta Town Line Road and John Street will begin on Monday.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the work in a press release Thursday afternoon.

The $824,000 project in Henrietta is aimed toward making the area safer for pedestrians and to help ease the flow of traffic through the busy intersection. According to DOT data, that intersection, near the Rochester Institute of Technology campus, sees traffic from an average of more than 25,000 vehicles daily.

"This is a busy, congestion-prone intersection that, because of its proximity to RIT, also has a high volume of foot traffic and bicyclists," said Cuomo. "These much-needed improvements will help eliminate this bottleneck and make this much-traveled roadway safer for pedestrians and motorists alike."

Work will entail widening the John Street approach to Jefferson Road into left-turn, through and right-turn lanes; installing a new traffic signal, adding sidewalk ramps and crosswalks with pedestrian signals; and adding 250 feet of sidewalk on the west side of John Street.

The roads will stay open for the duration of work, although single lanes will sometimes be closed. Work will be limited to off-peak hours and access to all businesses and residences will be maintained.

"Intersection improvement projects like this are essential to optimizing mobility and improving safety. As part of Governor Cuomo’s commitment to improving pedestrian safety throughout New York State, we are focusing on making smart engineering enhancements that make intersections easier to navigate for all users.”

The project is expected to wrap in the fall.

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com