FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2021
Planet Wings
Demolition Makes Way for Intersection Redesign
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is
pleased to announce the demolition of the abandoned Planet Wings building is
now underway and will kick-start the Broadway and Grand Intersection
Improvements Project.
With the removal of the Planet Wings
structure, the City of Kingston will redesign the intersection of Broadway,
Grand Street, Prince Street, and Pine Grove Avenue to correct a hazardous,
misaligned juncture. The new design will improve
traffic safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians and will
include public space in a formerly blighted location. The Broadway and Grand
Intersection Improvements project area will serve as the culmination of the Broadway Streetscape Project, which runs along the Broadway corridor from the
I-587 Roundabout. Now underway, the Broadway Streetscape Project optimizes traffic light signalization, and includes new
sidewalks, a protected bicycle lane, upgraded crosswalks, amenities such as
benches, trees and bioswales, and will include paving of the entire project
area.
Mayor Noble said, “By fall
2021, entering and traveling down Broadway in the City of Kingston will be an
entirely new experience. From the future gateway at the roundabout, along the
Broadway corridor to this new intersection at the YMCA, travelers will enjoy a
safe and scenic drive through our beautiful Midtown neighborhood in the near
future. We are thrilled to have a decades-old eyesore removed while making the
intersection safer for all who travel there and adding public greenspace in an
urban center. I would like to thank Assemblymember Cahill for his support for
this project and helping us restore the historic Post Office area to a space
our community can be proud of.”
Assemblymember
Kevin Cahill said, “A significant part of Kingston's history is told at this
intersection. It was once the center of transportation, where trolleys met
trains and where river travelers found their way to the beautiful
Catskills. It was also where the local bus station moved people between the
Hudson Valley and places all over the Northeast. Mostly, it is known as
the site of the former Post Office, a beautiful circular granite edifice that,
to many, represented the center of Kingston. Its demolition in 1969 mobilized our
community to prevent the loss of other structures, a movement that can rightly
be credited with assuring the reclamation of City Hall, installation of a new
roof on the Senate House, and the restoration of homes and buildings all over
our eclectic small city. Also noteworthy is that this space provides a
perfect vista for one of the most beautiful boulevards in Kingston. Pine
Grove Avenue, also enjoying a Renaissance, was once lined with trees and
benches, each dedicated to local World War I veterans. While the redesign
of this space will surely provide for a safer intersection, it will also create
a small meditation space, to again allow visitors to remember our heroes, where
neighbors can reflect on our diverse community and where the weary can find brief
rest and respite.
Funding
is provided in part by $750,000 from the
NYSDOT Multi-Modal Program, which was secured with the assistance of NYS Assemblymember Kevin Cahill.
“When I obtained the funds for much of this undertaking, our
shared vision was to make this more than just road project,” said
Assemblymember Cahill. “We wanted to recall some beautiful memories, but also
put finally put to rest, a brief time when hamburgers and wacky chicken took
precedence over majesty and civic pride. I applaud Mayor Noble for finally
ushering in this new era here in our shared hometown.”
Construction
on the Broadway and Grand Intersection Improvements Project is expected to
begin in mid-June and be completed by fall. The City
of Kingston grants team will continue to seek funding for the construction and
landscaping of the public space.
For more information, please visit: https://engagekingston.com/broadwaygrandintersection