MTR 60, I-287 Hearings at Hand

Mobilizing the Region
Issue 60 November 17, 1995

I-287 Hearings at Hand

Public opposition to the NY State Dept. of Transportation's plan to widen the Cross-Westchester Expressway has proliferated since the release of the project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement this summer. The DOT preferred option would place a reversible carpool or "high-occupancy vehicle" (HOV -- currently defined as two in a car) lane in the highway's median. But organizations like the Westchester Transportation Management Association have added to criticism from environmental groups who say the HOV plan won't solve congestion problems, and that insufficient attention has been given to innovative transit ideas. A number of county legislators agree, and have drafted legislation against the HOV lane and in favor of more consideration of transit.

Gannett's Westchester newspapers have editiorialized against the HOV plan, favoring operational improvements to the roadway's existing configuration, plus a harder look at longer-term transit options.

The Rockland County Conservation Association wrote recently to NYS DOT, calling the HOV proposal "at best a mitigation and perhaps an illusory alleviation" of I-287 traffic problems. The Association noted the big increase in truck traffic in the corridor, stemming from the connection of I-287 segments in NJ and Rockland County, and said transit revitalization was a more important and more realistic solution to transportation problems than widening highways. The Association nonetheless supported the Westchester HOV while opposing its extension into Rockland County, missing the fundamental point that if there were no Westchester HOV, its extension into Rockland would be a moot issue.

For more information, contact the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, 914-592-0262.

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