Mark Debald, Transportation Program Administrator

Adopted on November 18, 2011, Moving Dutchess is the Council’s fifth long-range plan, continuing a 30 year tradition of metropolitan transportation planning in Dutchess County. The Plan supports the Council’s mission to provide the resources (funding) and tools (planning) necessary to build and maintain a transportation system that promotes the safe and efficient movement of people and goods in a sustainable manner. Moving Dutchess provides a framework for addressing transportation needs and priorities for Dutchess County. These were identified through a comprehensive planning process that encompassed four major elements:

1. A review of federal, State, and local guidance, previous Council studies, and local comprehensive plans.
   
   
2. An analysis of transportation system data, including road and bridge conditions, transit use, vehicle crashes, traffic volumes, and travel times (congestion).
   
   
3.  Information gathered from public outreach, including six workshops, a survey, and monthly meetings of the Council’s Technical Committee.
   
   
4.  An assessment of where future population growth/travel might occur.

Goals

The Council began Moving Dutchess with a review of relevant federal, State, County, and local laws, policies, and guidance. This literature review sought to capture existing policies and recommendations that supported the Council’s mission and provided the framework for the Plan’s goals:

1. Preserve our highways and bridges.
2. Reduce traffic congestion.
3. Maintain our transit system. 
4. Increase the use of carpools/vanpools.
5. Increase bicycling and walking.
6. Improve transportation safety.
7. Reduce transportation-related impacts to the environment.
8. Increase public participation in the transportation planning process.
9. Improve the delivery of federally-funded transportation projects. 
10. Improve transportation security.

Regional Perspective

Moving Dutchess includes a discussion on the regional planning issues facing the three counties that make up the heart of the Mid-Hudson Valley: Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster. The Plan recommends that the counties pursue a regional transit study to improve inter-county connections.  

Demographic & Transportation Data

Moving Dutchess provides an overview of Dutchess County using data relevant to transportation planning. This includes data on population and socio-economic characteristics, employment, housing, and travel behavior. Census 2010 data is used to understand the latest population trends and to benchmark demographic forecasts. Moving Dutchess also looks at two future land use scenarios: 1) A build-out analysis that quantifies the amount of development that could occur under current local zoning and 2) A center-focused build-out analysis that assesses the scope of development under the County’s Centers and Greenspaces concept.

Moving Dutchess also provides an overview of the County’s transportation system, presenting condition and use data on highways and bridges, bus and rail transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and freight. The Plan also analyses vehicle crash data to identify locations with safety concerns, and travel time data to identify locations with congestion.

Planning Areas

Moving Dutchess takes a close look at the characteristics and special needs of five distinctive areas within the County. The five areas were established through an assessment of development patterns, travel characteristics, and demographic profiles. This approach provides greater detail on existing and future conditions, and helps target resources.

1. Upper Hudson: Villages of Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Tivoli; Towns of Hyde Park, Red Hook, and Rhinebeck
   
   
2. Lower Hudson: Cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie; Villages of Fishkill and Wappingers Falls; Towns of Fishkill, Poughkeepsie, and Wappinger
   
   
3. Upper Taconic: Towns of Clinton, Milan, Pine Plains, Pleasant Valley, Stanford, and Washington; Village of Millbrook
   
   
4. Lower Taconic: Towns of Beekman, East Fishkill, LaGrange, Pawling, and Union Vale; Village of Pawling
   
   
5. Harlem Valley: Towns of Amenia, Dover; Village of Millerton

Analyzing smaller areas has allowed the Council to better comprehend local nuances and increase its value to local communities. Moving Dutchess describes each area’s demographics, activity centers, and transportation facilities, and summarizes transportation issues identified in local comprehensive plans and previous studies.

Performance Measures

Moving Dutchess also establishes performance measures to quantify progress on meeting the Plan’s goals. The performance measures rely on available data to measure existing conditions for key aspects of the transportation system, including safety, highway/bridge maintenance, transit operations, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, the environment, public participation, and project deliverability.

Recommendations & Funding

Moving Dutchess recommends projects to preserve and improve the transportation system. This was done to increase the value of the Plan to public agencies and local communities by providing greater detail on where to target future investments. The Plan’s recommendations are divided into three time periods: 1) Short-Range (2012-2015), 2) Mid-Range (2016-2025), and 3) Long-Range (2026-2040). Moving Dutchess includes a financial constraint analysis that uses estimates of future funding ($1.5 billion total) to support its recommendations, which are categorized into eight project types: 

1. Bridge Maintenance ($607 million)
   
2. Highway Maintenance ($399 million)
   
3. Highway Operations ($89 million)
   
4. Pedestrian/Bicycle Transportation ($81 million)
   
5. Safety ($128 million)
   
6. Transit ($192 million)
   
7. Planning Studies ($2 million)
   
8. Travel Demand Management ($7 million)

Transportation Conformity

In accordance with federal guidelines, the Council, New York Metropolitan Transportation Council and the Orange County Transportation Council completed an air quality conformity determination statement for Moving Dutchess. Federal legislation requires that transportation activities “conform” to State air quality plans before they can receive federal funding. Dutchess County lies in the Poughkeepsie Ozone Non-attainment Area, which also includes Orange and Putnam Counties. As part of this Non-attainment Area, the PDCTC must demonstrate that the projects in Moving Dutchess and the current Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) conform to National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The results of the regional emissions analysis demonstrate that the Plans and TIPs of the NYMTC, OCTC, and PDCTC achieve and maintain National Ambient Air Quality Standards, as required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and the New York State Implementation Plan (SIP) for air quality.

Moving Dutchess

Cover and Table of Contents (.pdf)
Chapter 1 (Plan Introduction) - 10 Pages (.pdf)
Chapter 2 (Federal, State & Local Guidance) - 17 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 3 (Regional Perspective) - 30 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 4 (Demographic Overview) - 22 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 5 (Transportation & Resource Overview) - 40 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 6.1 (Lower Hudson Overview) - 47 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 6.2 (Upper Hudson Overview) - 34 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 6.3 (Lower Taconic Overview) - 30 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 6.4 (Upper Taconic Overview) - 31 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 6.5 (Harlem Valley Overview) - 26 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 7 (Performance Monitoring) - 10 pages (.pdf)
Chapter 8 (Recommendations & Financial Plan) - 24 pages (.pdf)

Appendix A (Definitions) - 7 pages (.pdf)
Appendix B (Recommended Bridge Projects) - 8 pages (.pdf)
Appendix C (NYSDOT ADA Inventory) - 5 pages (.pdf)
Appendix D (Public Outreach Summary) - 6 pages (.pdf)
Appendix E (Unfunded Project Concepts) - 2 pages (.pdf)
Appendix F (Air Quality Codes) - 2 pages (.pdf)
Appendix G (Air Quality Conformity Statement) - 62 pages (.pdf)
Appendix H (Energy Analysis of Moving Dutchess) - 8 pages (.pdf)

Moving Dutchess Public Workshops

June 15, 2011
Lower Hudson (Fishkill & Wappinger Areas) Presentation (.pdf)
Lower Hudson Overview Map (.pdf)
Lower Hudson Bridge & Road Condition Map (.pdf)
June 15th Meeting Feedback: Lower Hudson Needs & Priorities (.pdf)

June 21, 2011
Lower Taconic Presentation (.pdf)
Lower Taconic Overview Map (.pdf)
Lower Taconic Bridge & Road Condition Map (.pdf)
June 21st Meeting Feedback: Lower Taconic Needs & Priorities (.pdf)

June 23, 2011
Upper Taconic Presentation (.pdf)
Upper Taconic Overview Map (.pdf)
Upper Taconic Bridge & Road Condition Map (.pdf)
June 23rd Meeting Feedback: Upper Taconic Needs & Priorities (.pdf)

June 28, 2011
Lower Hudson (Poughkeepsie Area) Presentation (.pdf)
June 28th Meeting Feedback: Lower Hudson (Poughkeepsie Area) Needs & Priorities (.pdf)
(See June 15, 2011 for maps)

July 18, 2011
Upper Hudson Presentation (.pdf)
Upper Hudson Overview Map (.pdf)
Upper Hudson Bridge & Road Condition Map (.pdf)
July 18th Meeting Feedback: Upper Hudson Needs & Priorities (.pdf)

July 20, 2011
Harlem Valley Presentation (.pdf)
Harlem Valley Overview Map (.pdf)
Harlem Valley Bridge & Road Condition Map (.pdf)
July 20th Meeting Feedback: Harlem Valley Needs & Priorities (.pdf)