NYSDOT Briefs Public on Long-Awaited Route 17 Upgrade Project

The state should figure out in two years how to upgrade 30 miles of Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan counties to interstate standard, the highest grade within the U.S. roadway system, according to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). And that entails whether to add a much-anticipated third lane in both directions, said NYSDOT Hudson Valley region spokeswoman Heather Pillsworth. “It is not definite, but it is a possibility.” The targeted Route 17 segment runs from Wurtsboro down to Harriman until it meets Interstate 87. “Our goal really is to get those 30 miles into the federal Interstate System, and this project is going to tell us, in the end, what is the best route to make that happen,” Ms. Pillsworth told The Epoch Times at a public information session in the Town of Wallkill on Jan. 17....