On Route 17, adding more lanes is not the answer

“If you build it, they will come.” This saying is true whether you’re describing fans flocking to a baseball diamond or cars clogging highways. And for New York, that’s a problem.

In a misguided attempt to reduce traffic congestion, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Department of Transportation have proposed a billion-dollar plan to add third lanes in both directions along 50 miles of State Route 17, which connects the Mid-hudson region to the Catskill Mountains. Catskill Mountainkeeper and a coalition of groups representing tens of thousands of New Yorkers are urging the governor to seek an alternative plan, one that doesn’t include paving over our environment and spewing more climate-wrecking greenhouse gases into the air.

Decades of research on traffic dynamics across the country have shown that while there might be a slight reduction in traffic in the few years following highway expansion, these improvements are made obsolete by far greater congestion over the medium and long term. This pattern is known as “induced demand” – put simply, when access to a commodity increases, so does public demand.

Increased traffic isn’t the only problem that would result from the DOT’S plan to widen Route 17. Adding third lanes along this stretch of highway would be a huge step backward in New York’s critical work to take meaningful action on climate pollution. According to preliminary calculations, emissions generated by the uptick in vehicles traveling along Route 17 would add as much as 2 million tons of greenhouse gas pollution to our atmosphere by 2050. The state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requires slashing emissions from all sectors – and transportation is one of the largest sources of climate pollution in New York.

Emissions don’t just damage our atmosphere; they ruin local air quality and deliver toxic particulate matter to the lungs

of New Yorkers. Expanding Route 17 would expose highway-adjacent communities to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and pollutants.

Adding new lanes also requires subtracting from the natural lands bordering the highway, which are already under threat from intense regional development pressures. Anyone driving along Route 17 – including through the magnificent Bashakill wetlands and Shawangunk mountain range – can’t help but appreciate these wild areas, which offer welcome relief from an otherwise endless stream of billboards and concrete. These natural spaces aren’t decorative; they’re the foundation of New York’s climate resilience. Forests and wetlands filter carbon from our atmosphere and provide important habitat for wildlife and native plants.

We recognize that some upgrades to Route 17 may be needed to address safety and traffic flow during peak hours. But expanding 50 miles of highway to six lanes will ultimately only exacerbate congestion and undermine our pressing work to reduce climate pollution.

The $1 billion allocated for this project could instead be used to dramatically upgrade public transit all along the highway corridor and improve interchanges at Woodbury Commons, at Kiryas Joel, and where Interstate 84 intersects Route 17. Monies should also be used to boost alternatives to driving, such as expanding ride-sharing systems, among other mobility options that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We hope that Gov. Hochul will share our excitement about what can be achieved through these investments and will explore sensible alternatives that improve transportation options along Route 17 without sacrificing our health, environment and climate.