At press time, officials with the 17-Forward-86 Coalition were finalizing plans to stage a press conference at the Galleria at Crystal Run to urge the immediate launch of an environmental review of the widening of Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan counties.
The initiative to widen Route 17 in the Orange-Sullivan corridor received a major boost recently when it was revealed that Gov. Kathy Hochul included funding for the environmental review of the project as part of her proposed FY 2022-2023 Executive Budget. The funding for the review was included in the five-year, $32.8 billion New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) capital plan, according to a story published on Feb. 9 in the Albany Times Union.
“It was so refreshing to hear the governor put it in her State of the State and put it in her budget presentation,” said Maureen Halahan, co-chair of 17-Forward-86, and President and CEO of Orange County Partnership. “This is a governor who has had the courage to say it out loud and recognize the need … this is a corridor that opens downstate to upstate and a necessary repair. We’re delighted she’s focused her attention on it.”
Now that funding is in place, the 17-Forward-86 coalition will be looking to make sure that work on the study begins in earnest so that the state can take advantage of the $1.2-trillion federal infrastructure bill and secure funding for the Route 17 expansion project. The coalition has scheduled a press conference for Thursday, March 10 at 10:30 a.m. at the Galleria at Crystal Run to make its case to NYSDOT that the environmental study should get underway now.
Last November, the long-awaited final report from the New York State Department of Transportation’s Route 17 Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) study group was released. The PEL recommended the state move forward with an environmental review of a general use third lane in each direction on Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan counties that could (if built as one major project) cost anywhere from $650 million to $1.27 billion. The PEL study group also called for a study of interchange upgrades be undertaken at exits in Orange and Sullivan counties and that improvements be made in the region to improve connectivity to existing transit.
The scope of the construction of the general use third lane beginning at Exit 131 in Harriman (Orange County) to Exit 103 (Rapp Road) in Monticello in Sullivan County would determine the cost of the project.
Option 1, which involves using the basic existing footprint of the roadway and shoulders to accommodate a third lane in each direction would cost $385 million to $470 million for the Orange County stretch of roadway and another $265 million to $325 million in Sullivan County.
Under Option 2, which would involve widening the existing roadway to accommodate the third lane expansions in both directions so that most of Route 17 would conform to federal Interstate standards, the costs would escalate. For the Orange County section, the cost would run between $615 million to $750 million, while the Sullivan County component’s cost ranges from $425 million to $520 million.
See the full Albany Times Union story below:
Route 17 widening project part of state budget
An environmental review to convert the state highway is among new 5-year, $32.8 billion NYSDOT capital plan
Cloey Callahan | Feb. 9, 2022
A large-scale Hudson Valley highway project that’s been debated for years is poised to move forward with support from a five-year, $32.8 billion New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) capital plan, proposed in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2023 budget.
The NYSDOT plan, which would leverage funding commitments from a federal transportation authorization bill, would support several major projects, including beginning an environmental review to assess converting the full Route 17 corridor through Orange and Sullivan counties into Interstate 86 (I-86).
Changes to Route 17, a heavily trafficked roadway to popular area attractions like Legoland, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets, would accommodate more travelers in the region. The proposed expansion includes a 47-mile stretch between Exit 103 (Rapp Road) in Sullivan County and Exit 131 (I-87 – Harriman) in Orange County.
“It was so refreshing to hear the governor put it in her State of the State and put it in her budget presentation,” said Maureen Halahan, co-chair of 17-Forward-86, a coalition in support of the project, and president and CEO of Orange County Partnership of Economic Development.
“This is a governor who has had the courage to say it out loud and recognize the need … this is a corridor that opens downstate to upstate and a necessary repair. We’re delighted she’s focused her attention on it.”
The movement to expand Route 17 began years ago, following a 2013 NYSDOT study that was funded by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and that recommended adding a general-use, third lane to the state highway.
Securing funding is a necessary step for the proposed project, which has seen opposition from environmentalists, who argue that expanding the highway will lead to more cars and increased pollution.
The 200-plus members of the 17-Forward-86 coalition contend that expanding Route 17 is a key component to the economic well-being of the Hudson Valley and Catskills. The coalition — which includes Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, Orange County Chamber of Commerce, and Legoland— says they are in support because it would allow economic development to grow, aid in the transport of goods and services, and improve Route 17’s safety.
The Planning and Environment Linkages study for the project found that it would cost anywhere between $215 million to $320 million for Sullivan County, and $310 million to $720 million for Orange County, depending on the length of roadway that is widened.
Additional interchange upgrades could run upwards of $70 million for Sullivan County and $150 million for Orange County.
Halahan said the funding doesn’t guarantee the work can begin just yet. An environmental impact statement, which was accelerated by New York State and included in the State of the State address, will be released this spring as the project continues forward.
