FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 12, 2023

Mayor Noble Announces Kingston’s Membership into National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that the City of Kingston has been accepted into the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), an association of cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively confront national transportation issues.

“NACTO’s mission is to support cities to be safe, sustainable, and accessible, and provide equitable transportation options for all people,” said Mayor Noble. “We are thrilled to be accepted into this organization, one of only about 100 cities across the Country, that are committed to creating the best possible transportation infrastructure for our communities, through policy, leadership and practice.”

Brian Slack, Principal Transportation Planner for the Ulster County Transportation Council and the Ulster County Coordinator of Traffic Safety said, “Kingston’s neighborhoods and streetscapes are unique and require careful forethought when considering how to best accommodate all users when developing new, adaptive designs. Advocates have relied on NACTO guidance for years to develop context sensitive solutions that will make our streets and neighborhoods safe and vibrant places for all of our residents.”

City Engineer John Schultheis said, “I believe we have much to offer to other NACTO member cities, in terms of recent experience with designing, constructing, and maintaining innovative transportation projects. Kingston will also benefit from interacting with other cities who are confronting the same kinds of challenges we have here. I look forward to continuing to advance projects here with additional support from this organization.”

“Being accepted into NACTO feels like a huge honor and recognition of the streetscape improvements the City of Kingston has been working toward for the last 10 years,” said Emily Flynn, Director of Health and Wellness. “I believe this is a testament that our transportation projects and goals are in the same character as a much larger city with many more resources. This is especially true when you consider that Kingston is one of the smallest cities in the NACTO membership.”

John Grossbohlin, the Chair of the Complete Streets Advisory Council said, “I see the City’s adoption of NACTO as helping us to design our transportation network to be what we want it to be. Namely a system that is safe for all users compared to the old design paradigm that prioritized motorist movement at the expense of pedestrians, bicyclists, and mass transit users. This is extremely important to us as a community. The volume of pedestrians and bicyclists has exploded in the city in recent years, and we need to support the trend by providing a safer transportation system. Overall, Kingston’s residents will benefit from the system changes through reduced vehicular pollution, reduced vehicular congestion, and reduced stress on parking facilities. NACTO’s guidance will be a good thing for Kingston!”

“Safety is a top priority of my administration,” said Mayor Noble. “Over the last eight years, we have implemented many projects that improve the safety and infrastructure of our City and with the NACTO membership, we will be able to utilize best practices from our fellow communities and implement the best transportation strategies.”

To support long-term planning, the City of Kingston recently released the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, a strategy document that builds upon completed projects that include safety features such as improved intersections, signals and sidewalks. Recently completed projects include the Broadway Streetscape Project, the Broadway Grand Intersection Realignment Project, the Franklin Street Complete Streets Project, and the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan Intersection Project, among many others.

Current or upcoming road safety projects include the Henry Street Safe Routes to School Project, ADA curb ramp replacements across the City, Safe and Accessible Flatbush & Foxhall, the Uptown Transportation Improvements Projects, among many others.

In June, the City of Kingston was awarded $21.7 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program, the largest grant award in Kingston’s history. The grant will support Kingston’s Weaving the Waterfront transportation project, a multi-faceted initiative that will significantly expand the walkability of the waterfront, connect residents from underserved neighborhoods, and bolster the Waterfront Business District. The project will not only improve safety and access to park spaces, it also plans for climate and sea level change by elevating roadways in two flood prone areas, East Strand and Delaware Avenue. The project develops walking and biking access throughout the Rondout Creek and Hudson River Waterfront areas, and will increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists and access to nature. New sidewalk and bicycle paths will provide connections to and from the historic business districts, will complete branches of the Kingston Greenline and the Empire State Trail (EST), and will connect to the 520-acre Sojourner Truth State Park. 

Under Mayor Noble’s administration, the Kingston Point Rail Trail Phase 1 (Phase 2 is under design) and the Midtown Linear Park have been created, both of which provide off-street paths and connections for walking and biking. The Kingston Greenline is a network of urban trails, complete streets, improved sidewalks, bike lanes, and linear parks in Kingston. 

The Be a Road Hero traffic safety awareness campaign educated residents on road rules for new and existing infrastructure to improve safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

For more on the City of Kingston’s transportation projects, please visit: www.engagekingston.com.