Completion of Route 17 Expansion Study Delayed

POUGHKEEPSIE—The New York State Department of Transportation has reported that the “NYS Route 17 Mobility and Access Improvements Project study,” also known as the Route 17 expansion study, has been delayed and that the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been pushed back approximately 10 months.

NYSDOT Region 8 officials confirmed that the preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement warrants more time. Gov. Kathy Hochul has committed $1 billion for the Route 17 project.

“The proposed project to enhance safety, reduce crashes and convert a critical 30-mile stretch of State Route 17 to Interstate 86 in Orange and Sullivan Counties is vital to the connectivity and growth of the Hudson Valley,” NYSDOT Region 8 Acting Director Jim Rusak stated. “Over the past several months, the State Department of Transportation has been evaluating the project alternatives while engaging with stakeholders and the public. As a result, it's become clear that more time is needed to reassess the project alternatives in consideration of feedback received and ensure compliance with the new federal requirements and guidelines.”

Rusak confirmed that the release of the study is delayed. “The State Department of Transportation remains fully committed to progressing this important safety project. We very much appreciate the public’s engagement and comments to date and look forward to further engagement in the coming weeks and months as we work toward releasing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement next year, leading toward a Record of Decision in the second half of 2026.”

Previously, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement was to be available and released in August 2025, and a public hearing on the DEIS scheduled for September 2025 to be followed by a 45-day DEIS Comment Period (beginning with the Notice of Availability of the DEIS) that would have concluded in October 2025.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement and the Record of Decision were to be released in February 2026, with the issuance of all project permits and authorization decisions if a Build Alternative was selected by May 2026.

The amended project timeline according to the project’s website (https://www.route17.dot.ny.gov/#/mobility-access) now has the release of the DEIS and a public hearing on the DEIS in the summer of 2026, followed by a 45-day comment period that begins on the date of the release of the DEIS. NYSDOT now estimates the completion of the FEIS and the release of the study’s Record of Decision in the fall of 2026.

Daniel Ortega, founding member, 17-Forward-86, and Community Affairs Chief for Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative Local 825, released the following statement in reaction to the Route 17 expansion project delay: “We understand that the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision for the Route 17 mobility project will take additional time. While this may extend the timeline by several months, we remain confident in the State of New York’s commitment to advancing this critical project. Infrastructure improvements of this scale are complex and require careful planning and thorough review to ensure the best possible outcome for our communities and the entire region. We will continue working closely with Governor Hochul, the New York State Department of Transportation, and our local, state and federal representatives to move this project forward. The need to enhance capacity and safety on Route 17 remains clear, and we are committed to seeing this project through for the benefit of residents, businesses, and visitors alike.”

In September 2024 NYSDOT released a scoping report that noted three options would be evaluated going forward, including a “No Build” option.

One alternative being advanced would retain State Route 17’s existing two-lane mainline layout throughout most of the corridor while adding interchange auxiliary lanes between Exit 130 and Exit 130A and new collector-distributor (C-D) service roads from Exit 120 to Exit 122 and from Exit 122A to Exit 124. State officials explained that a C-D road separates freeway through traffic from other vehicles that are exiting or entering the freeway and helps keep weaving and lane-changing vehicles away from high-speed traffic on the mainline freeway. The cost of that option was pegged at $1,302,000,000.00 in the scoping report.

A second alternative being considered calls for the construction of a third travel lane from Exit 120 (State Route 211) to Exit 130A (U.S. Route 6) in addition to new auxiliary lanes and C-D roads. The cost of that project was estimated at $1,412,500,000.00, according to the scoping report.

NYSDOT officials stated at the time that the project cost estimates for both options in the scoping report include planned interchange improvements and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) upgrades.

Also listed as projects on the NYS Route 17 Mobility and Access Improvements study website is one involving improvements to exits 103 and 104 and another to upgrade exit 107. However, both the 103 and 107 improvement projects are independent of the Route 17 study and therefore will not be part of the DEIS to be issued next year, a NYSDOT spokesperson said.

According to the project website, planning has begun on the project to bring Route 17 between Exits 103 and 104 up to interstate standards and enhance the safety and operations of the interchanges. “The Federal Highway Administration and New York State Department of Transportation are preparing a Design Approval Document for the project, which extends from Exit 103 at Rapp Road to Exit 105 at NYS Route 42 in Sullivan County. Work on the project will prepare the stretch of NYS Route 17 to be designated as Interstate 86 in the future and will seek to minimize adverse social, economic and environmental impacts to the extent practicable,” NYSDOT states on the project website.

NYSDOT also reports on its website that preliminary design has begun on the project to bring Route 17 from Exit 105 to Exit 107 up to interstate standards and enhance safety and operations at the interchanges. “The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) are preparing a Design Approval Document for the project, which extends from Exit 105 at NYS Route 42 in Monticello to Exit 107 at Heiden Road in Bridgeville, Sullivan County. Work on the project will prepare the stretch of NYS Route 17 to be designated as Interstate 86 in the future and will seek to minimize adverse social, economic, and environmental impacts to the extent practicable,” the website states.

Work is already underway on another project listed as part of the Route 17 Mobility and Access Improvements Project, the final phase of the Exit 122 improvement. Work began this spring on the project that is considered by NYSDOT as the first phase of the Route 17 expansion project. Work is expected to be completed by late 2026 that is being performed by ECCO III Enterprises Inc. of Yonkers, NY, which was the lowest of eight bidders at $67,841,000 for the project that involves highway and bridge reconstruction in the Town of Wallkill.