MAMAKATING — During the July 6 town board meeting, Town of Mamakating Supervisor Janet Lybolt announced that New York’s Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is aiming to close exits 114 and 115 in their preliminary study to propose changes in the project of upgrading Route 17 to become Interstate 86.

The project to upgrade Route 17 to Interstate 86 has been ongoing for many years, and New York State has been upgrading or changing parts of Route 17 to make it compliant to be an interstate highway.

Supervisor Lybolt stated that she has been attending NYSDOT meetings since November 2020 about widening Route 17, but recently NYSDOT stated that exit 114 is to be closed and exit 115 is to be closed or changed because they are not complete exits. A complete exit or interchange means that an exit exists on both eastbound and westbound sides of the highway. Exits 114 and 115 currently exist on the westbound side only.

Lybolt stated that if these two exits close, that would leave travelers only two options to get into Bloomingburg, exits 116 or 113. Lybolt said that she was opposed to these changes as it will hurt residents and businesses. There is already a problem with trucks that are too heavy or big for back roads now, Lybolt said. In addition, she explained that emergency services rely on these exits as well.

During public comment, Peter Goodman, a member of the First Aid Squad and resident of Yankee Lake, stated that it will have a huge economic impact on businesses. He claimed that New York State’s decision to reroute Route 17 around Parksville is the reason why the hamlet has seen a dramatic decrease in visitors and businesses. Goodman also stated that more traffic on the backroads will only increase accidents as there were already two accidents involving pedestrians in Bloomingburg this year.

“It’s an invitation to disaster that we are already witnessing,” he said.

Matthew Mordas also stated that he was concerned about the NYSDOT’s goal of “connectivity” and “improving the driver’s experience” and stated that removing these exits will not achieve that. He stated that he asked a question during a NYSDOT meeting and asked about the possibility of commercial traffic being pushed onto winding roads such as Mamakating Road that connects Bloomingburg and Wurtsboro. Mordas said that the DOT’s response was that commercial traffic will use exit 113 for Route 209 and not exit 116.

Mordas then asked Highway Superintendent Rob Hufcut if he believed the DOT’s response. Hufcut responded that closing the exits will create a big problem for commercial traffic as well as the fire department and other emergency services.

Mort Staraban pointed out a problem that the town is facing with the fight against the closure. He said to put in two interchanges would be expensive, and “there is only so much money” available to put into the roads. He also stated that the state DOT is faced with federal requirements that they have no control over. “We have to try to get the best deal we can,” he said.

In other NYSDOT news, Supervisor Lybolt received a notice that the K-Line bridge construction off of exit 112 is delayed. The construction is anticipated to continue until mid-August. Lybolt stated that this closure has hurt many residents in Masten Lake, Yankee Lake, Wurtsboro Hills, and Mountain Lake Camps.

JoAnn Salamone, the Deputy Highway Superintendent, pointed out that the exit 112 closure has been difficult to deal with. The closure of two more exits will hurt Mamakating even more.

Goodman also asked residents and visitors to be “as vocal as possible” and has started a petition and distributed it in businesses around Mamakating. Goodman has also been vocal on local Facebook pages with more information about the proposal and the petition he has started. Residents and visitors can visit Berenstens Grocery, O’Toole’s Harley Davidson, Jerry’s Collision, Wurtsboro Diner, and Canal Towne Emporium to sign the petition. Hufcut also has petitions available to sign.

People can also reach out to their local councilperson; they can contact Peter Goodman (yankeelake@hvc.rr.com /845-798-4154), Matt Mordas (mmordas.geovation@gmail.com - 845-733-6018), or Supervisor Janet Lybolt at town hall (supervisor@mamakating.org/ 845-888-3000 Opt #4).