New York's plan to put a stretch of Boston Post Road on a diet, slimming it down from four lanes to three, has sparked a minor revolt among businesses in Larchmont and Mamaroneck.
Merchants fear they’ll lose customers when parking spaces are reduced to accommodate for wider lanes and the addition of a bike lane. They’ve started an online petition titled “Save the Boston Post Road” to encourage the state Department of Transportation to heed their concerns.
Among the organizers is Shelley Magrino, the owner of Mangone’s Garden Center. On its busiest days during Christmas and Halloween, the center attracts 300 or more customers, most of whom park along the road.
“If we don't have parking, these customers are then going to be forced to circle around
the residential areas that surround the garden center looking for parking and, I'm quite honest, those private communities don't want people driving all around all day looking for parking or taking their on-street parking,” Magrino said.
What is NY's plan for Boston Post Road?
The state DOT, with $16 million in its capital plan to repave a section of Boston Post Road, also known as U.S. Route 1, began discussions with local towns and village two years ago to gauge the improvements they’d like to see.
The agency has been tracking traffic patterns and crashes to come up with a draft plan that will reduce accidents and ease backups. The so-called “Road Diet,” which has been used in Ossining and elsewhere, would create two travel lanes of 11 to 12 feet (existing lanes are 9.5 feet) in either direction, roundabouts and a left turning lane of 11 to 16 feet.
Remaining space would go to a 5-foot-wide bike or travel lane and parking.
The multi-use idea was championed by the Mamaroneck school’s Safe Routes to School group led by Mike Smeets. Momentum for change intensified after the June 2024 death of Molly Murphey Donovan, 43, and her 6-year-old son Michael Donovan Volpe, killed when they were struck by a school bus while trying to cross nearby Mamaroneck Avenue.
“The Post Road is dangerous,” Smeets said. “Anyone will tell you that. The data shows that. We have a unique opportunity, because it’s repaving, to fix the Boston Post Road before a kid is killed.”
State figures compiled by Safe Routes show 46 bicyclists and 44 pedestrians struck by vehicles between 2015 and 2025.
Will it improve safety?
Smeets envisions the bike lanes being used primarily by students on their way to and from school, reducing the number of vehicle drop-offs in the morning and pickups in the afternoon when traffic along the Post Road is heaviest.
But merchants with businesses along the Post Road aren’t buying it, citing the high volume of truck traffic coming off I-95.
“The Boston Post Road is a main thoroughfare that connects the entire eastern seaboard,” said Jen Graziano, whose family has operated Coxe and Graziano Funeral home for 45 years. “It is not designed for one-lane recreational bike use. I also think it is dangerous for children. You're going to have 18-wheelers and buses riding behind bikes. And you're going to have frustrated motorists.”
Input from towns, villages essential
State officials held an open house in April to present a draft plan for a 3.77 mile corridor safety enhancement project that courses through the towns of Rye and Mamaroneck and the villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck.
“NYSDOT is listening to the community and has already hosted two very well-attended open houses, with another one expected in early 2027,” spokesman Glenn Blain said. “In response to project comments, our project team is working with the local municipalities to refine concepts to modernize the corridor.”
Last month, Larchmont sent a survey to residents asking for their input.
Assemblyman Steve Otis, a Democrat and former mayor of Rye, said the outcome should balance the concerns of residents.
“I’m a former mayor and I firmly believe that these ultimate decisions should be locally driven and that’s the process we’re in now,” Otis said. “It’s still wide open what the outcome is going to be.”
The start date and the final cost has yet to be determined.
“Our project team is working with the local municipalities to refine concepts to modernize the corridor and it is therefore premature to discuss cost estimates at this time,” Blain said.
Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA TODAY Network’s New York State team. He’s won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that’s included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@lohud.com
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Businesses warn NY's plan to fix Boston Post Road will harm economy
