Making Route 17 comply with federal guidelines to become Interstate 86 is a time-consuming process. Studies have to be made on how any changes to the roadway will impact the environment, local communities, and traffic patterns.
The New York State Department of Transportation held an informal public meeting in the Town of Wallkill on Wednesday to get input from the public. The study is about changes that would be made between exit 113 in Sullivan County and the Thruway interchange in the Woodbury area of Orange County.
State DOT Regional Director Lance MacMillan says public input is important.
"It’s a great opportunity for us to engage with the public and get their thoughts and opinions on some of the work we’ve done to date and help us pave the way for a project that’s buildable down the road,” he said.
Sullivan County Legislator Nick Salomone wants to find out if Route 17 would be widened to three lanes within Sullivan County because he’s concerned about how that would affect local communities.
"If we could postpone the three lanes into Sullivan for later on because I’m worried about taking part of Rock Hill off the map and I think it would lower the assessed valuation because you’re taking property away,” he said.
Town of Wallkill Commissioner of Public Works Lou Ingrassia was there to find out what the plans were for entrance and exit ramps within the town. ”
“I want to get a good idea of what the project entails what the scoping is calling for how it’s going to affect our town and our exits,” he said.
Many things have to be taken into consideration such as the height of bridges along the roadway, shoulder width, acceleration, and deceleration lanes, just to name a few. McMillan says it’s all about safety.
"We’ve pulled a lot of crash data as part of our homework and there are a lot of hot spots along this roadway that we hope to attack with this project and make it more safe and reliable for all the people that use it.”
31 май 2024
