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VICTOR, N.Y. (WROC) — The Town of Victor has been working to improve traffic in and around Route 96, since 2018.

Part of that includes a proposal for a new local road. The plan is welcomed by many businesses and residents, according to town officials. But not everyone is on board.

The proposal originally planned on keeping railroad tracks in the town of Victor, with an extension of Adams Street running parallel to the tracks.

“A new local road would alleviate some of the traffic congestion on Route 96 that we’ve heard about, and dealt with for years and years,” said Kathy Rayburn, Director of Economic Development with the town.

But once details of the proposal got out, owners of the rail (Finger Lakes Railway) decided they should be removed altogether.

Rayburn says this seems to only affect one business — Victor Insulators.

According to CEO Ira Knickerbocker, having tracks is a matter of surviving an industry where many factories of their kind are dying.

Knickerbocker says the company is over a hundred years old and supplies products nationwide for the electric power industry.

“…transformers and high voltage circuit breakers that protect circuit required insulators. New York City MTA uses thousands of our porcelain insulators,” he said in a town board meeting.

But, he adds removing the railway would complicate operations — and that’s the plan town officials want to see through after Finger Lakes Railway expressed their concern.

“They [Victor Insulators] didn’t have enough business to make rail a viable option in Victor,” Rayburn said, after talking with the railway owners. “Currently there is no service, Finger Lakes Railroad has discontinued service.”

Finger Lakes Railroad requires around 200 loads of service per year, to deem rail a viable business opportunity. But Victor Insulators makes about eight loads per year, said Rayburn.

Moving forward, the company will be receiving those materials by truck.

An option that’s not desirable, according to Knickerbocker.

“It takes three times the labor to unload four truckloads at our factory than it would have if one car load was simply delivered by rail,” said Knickerbocker. “There is very real risk of contamination of raw material which will render it unusable.”

Knickerbocker says right now he’s worried about international competition; lower-cost imports have taken over the insulator market, with China being the largest supplier.

And, he says most factories in North America are closing their doors.

Rayburn sympathizes but says the fate of the tracks now lies in the hands of Ontario County and Surface Transportation.

The infrastructure plan for a new local road is currently in the feasibility stage.

Once the town can move forward with construction, Rayburn hopes they can alleviate congestion, improve access to businesses and allow more space for pedestrians.

News 8 made multiple attempts to reach Victor Insulators for an interview, but have not heard back.

You can find the full infrastructure plan on the town’s website.

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