New Report Challenges State's Route 17 Expansion Plan

A newly released independent study is calling on New York State to reconsider its proposal to widen Route 17, arguing that adding a third lane along the entire corridor would be both costly and unnecessary.

The report, prepared by transportation consulting firm Smart Mobility Inc. for Catskill Mountainkeeper, disputes findings from a 2024 New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) study that concluded a third travel lane is needed to improve congestion and safety between Orange and Sullivan counties.

According to the new analysis, traffic congestion is largely concentrated in sections of Orange County, particularly around Middletown and Monroe during peak travel periods, rather than throughout the entire corridor. The report also contends that crash data does not support the claim that Route 17 experiences unusually high accident rates.

Instead of widening the highway from end to end, the study recommends targeted improvements at specific bottlenecks and interchanges, along with investments in additional transportation alternatives.

"The idea that you just need to widen the whole road to address that is very expensive and unnecessary," said Norm Marshall, president of Smart Mobility Inc. and author of the report.

Catskill Mountainkeeper, which commissioned the study, has long opposed a full Route 17 expansion. The organization says strategic safety upgrades and localized congestion improvements would better serve motorists while reducing costs and limiting environmental impacts.

Despite the report's conclusions, the NYSDOT says no final decision has been made. The agency is currently preparing an Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate various options for improving safety and traffic flow along the Route 17 corridor.

The latest study comes less than a year after a separate report by Colliers Engineering & Design reached the opposite conclusion, finding that a third lane would likely be needed to accommodate projected traffic growth over the next three decades.

The debate over the future of Route 17 is expected to continue as the state reviews public input and environmental findings before selecting a preferred alternative.