With Legoland Opening Renewed Calls to Expand Route 17
A top New York official wants President Biden to make expanding Route 17 a "top priority."
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D - N.Y.) says he's continuing his 15-year-long fight to expand Route 17 to improve the quality of life and economic well-being of the Hudson Valley.
The U.S. Senator recently held a virtual meeting with President-Elect Biden’s nominee for Department of Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, and urged the nominee to prioritize federal infrastructure funding towards construction projects like the expansion of Route 17, all the way from Orange to Sullivan County.
Schumer believes not only would an infusion of funding help jumpstart economic revitalization in the Hudson Valley by creating good-paying jobs, but it would also help improve roadway safety and alleviate roadway congestion, especially with the pending completion and opening of the LEGOLAND New York resort as well as Amy’s Kitchen, both in Goshen.
“Expanding the vital artery of Route 17 to three lanes in Orange and Sullivan Counties is critical for the Hudson Valley’s long-term economic development and recovery after the devastation of the COVID pandemic. The traffic on Route 17 is bad enough now, and new projects are only going to increase the bottlenecks and delays,” Schumer said. “By expanding this key route into Sullivan County, we can avoid greater traffic in Orange County and maximize the potential of the region’s assets by allowing businesses, workers, residents and visitors alike to freely access all there is to offer. In order to improve that quality and constantly open up new opportunities for Hudson Valley jobs and economic drivers, we must overhaul the quality of our infrastructure. That is why I am calling to extend this expansion and urged nominee Buttigieg to make infrastructure funding for projects that promote regional and economic growth, like Route 17, a top priority for the new administration.”
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