Westchester I-287 HOV Panned at Blue Ribbon Panel
Momentum appears to be swinging against the NY State Dept. of Transportation's proposal to add one or two high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to the Cross-Westchester Expressway (I-287). In addition to growing business community hostility, the plan was panned by transportation experts at the first meeting of Westchester's new Blue Ribbon Panel on transportation. Invited speaker Dr. James Yarmus, transportation and planning commissioner of Rockland County, focused on the potential of public transit systems in the I-287 corridor, while a second guest, Raleigh D'Adamo from the City of New Haven, expressed surprise that HOV lanes were being considered given the shape of the corridor and HOV lanes' poor historical performance. Some Westchester transportation officials are said to be becoming interested in the guided busway technology offered by Yonkers Contracting Corp. -- several meetings between Yonkers Contracting and the NY Dept. of Transportation's Region 8 (Mid-Hudson) office have also been held recently. Meanwhile, NY State's offer to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign of a "window of opportunity" to explore alternatives to HOV lane construction made earlier this year has proven entirely hollow, with no cooperation from NY DOT or the Thruway Authority evidenced to date. The Westchester County Board of Legislators' environment committee will meet to discuss work on the Tappan Zee Bridge and the I-287 HOV proposal Tuesday, October 18 at 3:30.
