Tele-Talk question: Should the state make widening of Route 16 in Albany more of a priority?

On Friday, Aug. 19, a three-car collision on Route 16 in Albany claimed the life of an 8-year-old boy riding in a 2015 Kia. On Sunday, a single-car crash injured two adults, injured five children and killed a local man, Kevin Sargent, 44, of Albany. On Friday, state police reported that the other two adults in the car — Michael Seibel, 44, of North Conway and Ann-Marie Sargent, 40, of Albany — succumbed to their injuries. The 2-mile section of Route 16 between Albany and Madison has long been flagged as problematic, as the shoulders are only 4 feet in some areas, although 10-foot shoulders were recommended by a safety audit of Route 16 conducted in 2015. At that time, widening the road through Albany was in the state’s Ten Year Transportation Plan, tentatively for 2023-24. The new Ten Year Plan, signed in July, pushed that $13 million shoulder widening and resurfacing project in Albany back to 2025-27.

This week’s Tele-Talk: Should the state make widening of Route 16 in Albany more of a priority?