Route 32 improvements delayed until 2017
By Claudia Wysocki CENTRAL VALLEY A reallocation of federal funds provided to the state to improve the Route 32-87-17 corridor has been pushed back until 2017.
Woodbury Mayor Michael Queenan calls this unacceptable.
He has contacted every local, state and federal official, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, for their support in getting the funding restored.
Queenan said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer told local officials in January that it was not a money issue but that the state is prioritizing pending projects.
Queenan doesnt care what the reason for the delay - he wants the project to begin as scheduled.
At this crossroads where the Quickway, the state Thruway and Route 32 meet, traffic congestion affects not only his community, he said, but also the neighboring municipalities of Monroe, Blooming Grove, Harriman and Chester.
Black Friday traffic every weekend
The mayor described the traffic congestion as so bad on holiday weekends that it is re-directed into nearby communities to alleviate the congestion, tension and road rage.
It used to be just Black Friday, now, its every holiday and weekends when the weather is good, the mayor wrote in the letter he sent out to other officials.
The congestion has also turned the corridor into a virtual gridlock every weeknight from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Queenan is not putting the full blame on shoppers at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, the site of one of Orange Countys largest revenue sources.
Three of Monroe-Woodburys seven school buildings are adjacent to the crossroad which brings additional traffic, in addition to commuters and residents shopping at local businesses.
Public safety is another of Queenans issues. He said he has concern for fire and ambulance response time during heavy traffic congestion.
The recent closing of Arden Hill campus of Orange Regional Medical Center in Goshen, Queenan said, has made response time to Orange Regionals new hospital in the town of Wallkill more critical.
New York State Police Lt. Frank Keyser agreed there is a congestion problem.
Any improvement would be helpful, he said. But, we have no control over that. We do the best we can.
Keyser said his department is there for traffic control when requested, for example, by the outlet center.
Larkin questions DOT Orange County has been a major supporter of the project. Through a joint effort, county officials through the Southeast Orange County Transportation and the Land Use Task Force submitted the project for funding.
Meanwhile, state Sen. William Larkin Jr. (R-C-Cornwall-on-Hudson) said he has been talking to the New York State Department of Transportation regarding this project.
He said a letter was sent to the DOT commissioner Wednesday asking why the project has been pushed back to 2017 - and to advise them of the effect it will have on jobs and revenue sales.
The senator also said Woodbury Common Premium Outlets plan a significant expansion.
With the crossroads project being pushed back to 2017, Larkin said, it will mean a loss of additional jobs and sales tax revenue generated from Woodbury Common.