A public meeting was hosted by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) at Wallkill’s town hall on June 1 to inform residents about the upcoming phase two improvements of Exit 122 on Route 17.
The construction project, which is expected to start next year and be completed by the end of 2025, will widen and lengthen Exit 122 lanes on the eastern side of the highway and enhance the capacity of the bridge over the Wallkill River.
NYSDOT Region 8 Public Information Officer Heather Pillsworth told The Epoch Times that the improvement will enhance the interchanges and benefit community users, such as those who visit facilities on the “medical mile” just south of the exit.
The “medical mile” is a two-mile stretch on East Main Street and Crystal Run Road that is home to a host of medical centers, clinics, and specialty doctors’ offices.
Many shopping centers, grocery stores, and hotels also surround Exit 122.
The total cost for the phase two work is estimated at $80 million, according to Mark Kruk, a project manager with the NYSDOT.
By its completion, the Exit 122 redesign project will have taken a decade; the phase one work was completed in 2015 and laid most of the groundwork for the entire project, including land acquisitions, stormwater management, a new bridge, and the realignment of the East Main Street and Crystal Run Road.
Although phase one entailed more work, the cost was less than that of phase two at about $70 million; inflation was a key factor driving up construction costs, according to NYSDOT officials.
Town of Wallkill Deputy Supervisor Mark Coyne said that although the highway traffic during the construction period might be more challenging, the project is worth the cost.
“Traffic is going be what it is going to be, but when it is all done, it is going to be great,” he said.
He told The Epoch Times that two major events fueled the population and commercial growth that necessitates such expansive construction in the town—the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“They were tragic, although the tragic kind of helped the growth here,” he said. “You saw a big boost in people moving up here from New York City.”
Town of Wallkill Councilman Neil Meyer told The Epoch Times that the improvement will help with the traffic flow and economic development in the area.
Following the conclusion of the Exit 122 improvement, the NYSDOT will move on to a more ambitious project in Orange County—the widening of Route 17, according to Pillsworth.
Traffic data collection on the project is already underway, which will help determine which parts of Route 17 need more lanes, Kruk said.
He added that a comprehensive environmental study on the project will start soon and be completed in about two years.
