Cuomo announces accelerated plan to improve Woodbury I-87 Interchange

BY ERIKA NORTON
CENTRAL VALLEY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to accelerate a $150 million project that would reconstruct the Woodbury Interstate 87 Interchange at Exit 131, a move local officials say is long overdue.
During one of his travelling 2017 State of the State addresses at SUNY Purchase Tuesday, Cuomo laid out the plan to build what he is calling the “Town of Woodbury Transit and Economic Development Hub,” which would improve traffic around the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. The area serves more than 70,000 vehicles daily and swells to even higher traffic volumes during peak seasonal shopping seasons.
“Woodbury Common plays a critical role in the economic vitality of the region, but traffic congestion and aging infrastructure restricts further potential for growth in the surrounding community,” Cuomo said. “This project will provide a streamlined, state-of-the-art transportation network to free up congestion, improve the quality of life for residents, and create more opportunities for economic growth in Woodbury and in the entire Mid-Hudson Valley.”
The project will cost $150 million and will create 600 constructions jobs, Cuomo said. To improve mobility and traffic patterns, the project will include:
Improved access to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets;
Replace the Route 32 bridge over Route 17, which will include standard interstate height clearance over Route 17;
Reconstruct and expand of Park and Ride facilities which will include a bus stop and solar-powered bus station to promote public transit;
Reconfigure the Route 17 Exit 131 eastbound ramp leading to the New York State Thruway;
A new interconnected and adaptive traffic signal system along Route 32 to minimize delays and enhance access to local businesses and schools; and
Intelligent Transportation Systems to optimize traffic conditions.
Project stalled for yearsPlans to improve the interchange were supposed to begin in 2013 with a second phase beginning in 2017, according to Village of Woodbury Mayor Michael Queenan, but have been talked about since the early 90’s. The schedule was then pushed back to the summer of 2018.
According to Queenan, request for proposals are going out immediately, with possible shovels in the ground this November. With the project likely to take two to three years to complete, according to conversations he had with the Department of Transportation, he called the announcement to accelerate the plan “well overdue.”
“I think it’s desperately needed,” he said. “With the potential of Legoland and the casinos and development down by the train station, the state is way behind the eight ball as far as this is concerned. They should have been proactive about this and actually started this project in 2013. But that being said, I’m happy that at least they are getting ready to move on it now.”
Queenan also said he is glad to see the plan to reconstruct and expand Park and Ride facilities, which will include adding a bus stop and solar-powered bus station to promote public transit.
In the Monroe-Woodbury area, he said there’s a lot of people who work outside of Orange County, so it’s critical to create more park and ride parking spaces for commuters who get up at 4 a.m. and travel down to Manhattan for work.
“My big concern was that they could not be stressed out about where they parked, they could park their car and get on a bus and go to work without being stressed out,” Queenan said. “I thought that was a terrible way to go to work worrying about getting a ticket, worrying about finding a parking space. There’s enough stress in the world without worrying about going to work.”
Other local officials respondOther local officials were glad to see the stalled project moving forward. Assemblyman James Skoufis (D-Woodbury) has been pushing for this project to start since his first day in the Assembly and helped secure $115 million in last year’s state budget for the project.
“I’m thrilled the governor and the Department of Transportation have heeded my calls and the calls of local stakeholders to accelerate the Exit 131 project,” Skoufis said Tuesday. “Getting shovels in the ground this year will ensure much-needed traffic relief from Woodbury Common is right around the corner for local residents.”
U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) has also been pushing for this project to start since 2013, and in May 2015, submitted a memorandum the Secretary to the Governor stating, “the Exit 131 interchange improvement is the most critical transportation project in the Hudson Valley.” On Tuesday, he said that anyone who drives through southern Orange County knows what it’s like to sit in endless traffic around Woodbury Common, which is why fixing this problem has been a top transportation priority of his as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“Smart, responsible investments in our infrastructure make us safer, create good-paying jobs, and grow our economy,” Maloney said in a statement. “It’s really a no-brainer.”
County Executive Steve Neuhaus also praised the governor for accelerating the plan.
“Orange County is a model for attracting economic development in New York,” Neuhaus said in a statement. “Our momentum is only limited by the lack of sufficient infrastructure needed to facilitate that growth. Improvements to this vital corridor have been discussed for decades. I look forward to seeing some tangible results of today’s announcement and the physical work beginning this year.”