Roundabout Construction Nears Completion, Thru Traffic to Southside Resumes

By JULIA DelPOZZO
SUNY Institute for Local News
ONEONTA

The roundabout construction project at the intersection of State Route 7 (Main Street), State Route 23 (James F. Lettis Highway), and Maple Street in downtown Oneonta is entering its final stages. Traffic in all but one direction had reopened as of the morning of Friday, November 21. Only the right turn ramp for travelers heading east on NY 7 remained closed. Crucially, access from downtown to the southside via Lettis Highway had resumed.

The New York State Department of Transportation officially lists mid-January 2026 as the intersection reconstruction’s estimated substantial completion date. NYSDOT spokesperson Daniel Scharfenberger told AllOtsego on November 19 that the project is “progressing on schedule.” His statement added that “remaining work—including sign and guide rail installation, lighting and striping—[is] expected to be complete by the end of the year.”

Days earlier, at the November 17 meeting of Oneonta’s Common Council, City Administrator Greg Mattice reported that construction was behind schedule and the intersection would not be fully opened to traffic for at least a couple weeks. Construction work had appeared to slow in early November.

“I know they’re doing their best to finish the remaining work and have experienced some unanticipated delays…Certainly, the current weather is not ideal,” Mattice said at the city meeting.

The reopening of traffic in both directions on Lettis Highway is sure to be a relief for Oneonta area residents. After Phase 2 of the roundabout construction began on September 2, road access to the southside was restricted to Main Street. The intersection of Main Street and State Route 28 has been heavily congested for the past two months. Traffic has been backed up more than a half-mile during peak times, all the way to the intersection of Main and Chestnut streets.

The road reconstruction project has been in the works for more than two years, after being announced at a public information meeting in November 2023. It converts the four-way traffic light intersection at Lettis Highway and Main Street into a single-lane traffic circle.

According to an April 17 press release from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, the roundabout is intended to “reduce vehicle congestion and make it easier for pedestrians and motorists to reach the area’s popular destinations.” In addition to the roadway, the project adds new sidewalks, lighting, and pedestrian safety signage, plus new drainage systems and landscaping.

Construction officially began on June 2 and was estimated to last nearly nine months. The estimated completion date was previously moved up from February 17 to January 18, 2026. The over $4 million project is currently listed by the NYSDOT as being on-time and on-budget. 

The project is funded with a mix of state and federal funding. Most of the budget comes from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program. In the April 17 statement, Gov. Hochul said, “We want to make sure that everyone in Oneonta reaches their destinations as safely as possible, and that’s just what this new roundabout and other community enhancements will provide.”

The Lettis Highway and Main Street roundabout is the first of two major state-backed road safety projects slated for Oneonta. Scheduled to begin next year is the “Southside Oneonta Safety and Mobility Improvements Project,” which aims to improve the sidewalks and traffic flow along NY 23 and NY 28 near the southern end of the Lettis Highway.

This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Service, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.