Just when you thought traffic at the Vail’s Gate Five Corners couldn’t get any worse, more development is likely in the future for the Route 94 corridor between the congested five-way intersection and the Vail’s Gate Firehouse.
The New Windsor Planning Board will convene during a regularly scheduled meeting tomorrow night to discuss three proposed projects on the busy stretch of road, also known as Blooming Grove Turnpike, at the three-way intersection of Old Temple Hill Road. The busy intersection, which does not have a traffic light, is located just a few hundred feet from the even busier Five Corners intersection.
According to the New York State Department of Transportation, that stretch of Blooming Grove Turnpike saw an average of 11,839 pass through daily during a 2019 traffic study.
First up to be discussed is the construction of a new gas station and convenience store called Bearington Auto Care. This would be located at 884 Blooming Grove Turnpike, on the corner of Blooming Grove Turnpike and Old Temple Hill Road. It is next door to the Vail’s Gate Post Office. The site is currently a used car lot running under the name of Infinite Auto Mall. Those who are long-time New Windsor residents remember this as an RV dealership which was owned for decades by Casey Mann, once a popular property owner around town.
Also slated for discussion is a new self-storage facility proposed to be constructed across the street from the proposed convenience station. True Storage would be built at 865 Blooming Grove Turnpike, directly across from the 3-way intersection of Blooming Grove Turnpike and Old Temple Hill Road. The current location is a dirt lot which backs up to the Marshall Park residential development.
Also up for discussion is a possible daycare center to be established at 878 Blooming Grove Turnpike, which is an existing building located between the proposed convenience store lot and the Vail’s Gate Firehouse. This was locally known as a beauty school for many decades. Since its closure, the ownership has changed hands many times.
Vail’s Gate is named after John Vail, who was the keeper of a toll gate on Blooming Grove Turnpike in the 1800s. Vail was also the postmaster. This portion of New Windsor is commonly misspelled as “Vails Gate,” but it is possessive to the name Vail and is therefore Vail’s Gate.
