So, it ends up they got it all wrong at those two public hearings last year, hosted by the state Department of Transportation, in which town residents asked the state to scale back plans for the Farley Bridge project on Route 9W. At least that’s what Stony Point Supervisor Phil Marino, the town’s highway superintendent, fire chief and police chief said last week, as reported by Khurram Saeed.

DOT first planned to place a new span along Route 9W that would add right-turn and left-turn lanes, and sidewalks, but would also mean the taking of property in the area. Then, residents at well-attended public hearings said the town could do without the larger bridge. DOT came back with a smaller plan that needed less land-taking, but had fewer of the lane options.

Why the change now? Well, Stony Point Police Chief Patrick Brophy says he brought up his concerns (he wants left-turn lanes at all four directions at the Route 9W/Main Street intersection) with DOT engineers 18 months ago. As for Marino, he said last week that he “was not as vociferous as I should have been. But I am now.”

Just how “not vociferous” was he? Well, here’s a clip from the news article in October 2007, in which Marino himself announced, during a Town Board meeting, the DOT’s intention to acquire less land for the project:

Marino, who worked with the state, said he was pleased with the outcome. … “The three big properties that everybody was worried about, they’re not going to be touched,” said Marino, who is running for re-election against Republican candidate Jerry Rogers in November.

No, not vociferous.

It’s not clear what this change of tune means. DOT seemed unfazed. “Whether or not the left turn goes in now or not, the design of the new bridge will not preclude that from being done in the future,” DOT spokeswoman Sandra Jobson told staff writer Saeed.

Let’s not forget why this project’s being done in the first place. The 85-year-old James A. Farley Memorial Bridge has been deteriorating for years. DOT rated it 3.99 out of 7, and it’s received two yellow flags for corrosion on a nonweight-bearing piece of the deck truss and for corrosion on a floor beam. A yellow flag identifies less critical conditions that are likely to get worse if not addressed before the next inspection, as well as flaws in nonvital components. Now, the DOT plans to do the work in 2010. Let’s hope town officials and residents can get their desires expressed clearly to the DOT this time around.