According to a new assessment by the state Department of Transportation (DOT), a planned highway expansion in the Catskill region supported by Governor Kathy Hochul would save drivers one to six minutes at a minimum cost of $1.3 billion.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul.Photo byGovernor Kathy Hochul From Flickr

The project is planned for New York's Route 17, which serves tens of thousands of drivers every day and runs for nearly thirty miles past Legoland New York, from the Woodbury Common shopping mall.

The state is debating two proposals: one would add a lane in each direction over almost half of the 30-mile stretch, while the other would enlarge the current two-lane roadway at three sites. The study indicated that the plans would lessen traffic crashes and that this safety gain could be obtained without extending the highway.

A Modern Highway

Last Thursday, Hochul celebrated the project as a chance to "reimagine this vital roadway into a modern highway." This backing is consistent with the manner she has prioritized road projects:

The Hochul government has significantly increased the amount of state funding allocated to highways and directed billions of federal dollars toward roadways rather than mass transit. With a heavy emphasis on roads, the state's five-year transportation plan raised expenditures by $9 billion above the previous plan.