MONTICELLO – Portions of New York Route 17 in the Southern Tier have been upgraded to federal standards to become Interstate 86, but the divided highway in Sullivan and Orange counties remains a state road.
That could change as Governor Hochul has included the conversion of the road from state to federal status in her five-year transportation capital plan.
The ad hoc regional group, 17Forward86, is excited about the governor’s announcement. Upgrading the road will be a boost for economic development in the Hudson Valley/Catskills section and Marc Baez, president of the Sullivan County Partnership, said it could pave the way to adding the third lane on the two-lane east-west highway.
“I think it’s good. I think it’s a start. We still have a lot of work to do. We are still working on the actual commitment to the construction dollars needed to actually build the lane and do the actual work, but this is a good step forward,” he said. “I think it will set us up to do that in the future.”
The group 17Forward86 was formed as a collaboration by the Sullivan County Partnership, Orange County Partnership and Orange County Citizens Foundation, now called Vision Hudson Valley.
