{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"From Route 17 to I-86: What’s Next for the Catskills Corridor?","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":631,"description":"You've probably driven it--Route 17, winding through the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, but big changes are coming to this familiar stretch of highway.New York State is in the process of upgrading Route 17 to federal interstate standards, part of a decades-long effort to rebrand the corridor as Interstate 86 (I-86).   Some of that work is already underway around Monocello with even more proposals on the table, but not everyone is on board. While the state touts improved travel and connectivity, local advocates warn the billion-dollar project could come at the cost of environmental sustainability, community needs, and smarter investments.“Older Than I Am”: A Project With Deep Roots“This plan has been going on for a while — it’s actually older than I am, oddly enough,” joked Liam Mayo, news editor at The River Reporter, who has been covering the story in detail. “The federal legislation that is underpinning all of this comes from 1998. It was called the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, and it designated Route 17 as a priority upgrade for inclusion in the National Highway System.”Since then, upgrades have slowly progressed from west to east. Much of the western portion of the corridor has already been converted. As Mayo explained, “I-86 currently stretches all the way from the western end of the state up to Binghamton. And it’s the bit from Binghamton onwards that still needs to be upgraded.”That remaining stretch includes the portion of Route 17 from Exit 113 to Exit 131, which runs through the Catskills and Hudson Valley. “While proposals are still being worked out,” Mayo said, “one of the more likely ones is adding a third lane, or expanding that stretch of highway.” That project alone is expected to cost more than $1 billion.Monticello Upgrades and Public InputCloser to home, the NYS Department of Transportation is in the early stages of planning upgrades to Exits 103, 104, and 107 in Monticello.“These are proposals that are just kind of...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}