State Pauses Billion-Dollar Route 17 Expansion in Hudson Valley - Streetsblog New York City

"The New York State Department of Transportation has quietly announced that it was pausing work on a controversial highway expansion in the Hudson Valley that locals opposed. Earlier this month, the agency posted, but did not distribute, a statement on its website announcing that the Route 17 widening project in the Catskills - long regarded as one of the biggest highway boondoggles in the state - had been put on ice."

"The piddling time savings, plus the fact that expanding a highway runs counter to the state's mandated efforts to reduce transportation emissions, galvanized local opposition to the project and led to the announced pause. Of course, state officials have not ruled out the possibility of expanding the highway, since one alternative on the table calls for expanding 20 miles of the road instead of 30 miles. Advocates are calling on Gov. Hochul to pause that idea, too."

New York State DOT paused work on the proposed Route 17 widening in the Hudson Valley and posted a statement noting the need for more time to reassess alternatives. The agency cited feedback from stakeholders and required compliance with new federal requirements and guidelines. The original plan sought a third lane in each direction across 30 miles of Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan counties. The projected cost was $1.3 billion with an estimated six-minute peak travel-time savings by 2050. Local opposition grew due to minimal benefits and conflicts with mandated goals to reduce transportation emissions. A smaller 20-mile expansion remains an active alternative.

Read at Streetsblog