It’s A Roundabout Way to Get 5th Capital Region Chick-fil-A

There were some major traffic concerns regarding the building of the Chick-fil-A in Latham. It seems as if the Town of Colonie has made it official. The Capital Region will be getting its fifth location.

Chick-fil-A first announced plans for the Latham location way back in August 2021, the Capital Region didn't even have its first location. Fast forward to now, and they’ve got four (Clifton Park, North Greenbush, Albany, and even one inside the Albany Airport). As of late, we were still waiting.

The main reason for the holdup was a ton of traffic concerns. The site sits right by the busy entrance to the Latham Farms shopping plaza in the old Brick House Tavern, which already sees heavy volume. So before the restaurant could open its doors or even get a certificate of occupancy, the town required a big fix: a brand-new roundabout.

Read More: Is There A Traffic Fix For Latham Chick-fil-A?

According to the Albany Business Review, that roundabout is going in on Erin Street, near the Dick’s House of Sport entrance. It has to be fully built before anyone can order a chicken sandwich or waffle fries at this location. The goal is to keep traffic moving smoothly, especially with the expected rush that Chick-fil-A tends to draw.

The restaurant itself is designed with traffic in mind, too. It’ll have a double-lane drive-thru that can hold 34 cars at a time, plus a bypass lane to keep things flowing. Add in about 84 parking spots based on traffic patterns observed at their Clifton Park location, and planners are confident the setup will handle the demand.

A traffic study gave the green light, saying the roundabout and site design should prevent any major backups at the Troy-Schenectady Road and Erin Street intersection.

Once the site’s finally ready, Chick-fil-A plans to bring on 120 to 140 employees.