WURTSBURO, NY — Local residents oppose a plan to close Route 17’s exit 114 leading into the Village of Wurtsboro.7

The closure is part of the NYS Route 17 Mobility & Access Improvements Project, in which the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) will upgrade 30 miles of state highway—from exit 113 in Sullivan County to I-87 in Orange County—to interstate standards.

“This plan was not widely publicized and a watchdog group recently uncovered it so time is very short to attempt to protest this decision and save Wurtsboro Village from becoming another Parksville—a once thriving Catskill Town which became a ghost town when Route 17 bypassed them,” says the Save Exit 114 Change.org petition posted by Friends of Wurtsboro. The petition has a little more than half of its 5,000-signature goal.

The group 17-Forward-86 has hundreds of members in the construction, tourism, business, health care, and energy trades It says expanding Route 17’s capacity will improve  “access for tourists and businesses while enhancing commuter safety and reducing environmental damage from vehicular emissions caused by idling motorists. The expansion will also improve quality of life for residents who face increased traffic on side roads as a result of commuters trying to get around Route 17’s congestion.”

The organization says four million people visit Sullivan County annually and expects that number to double.

The Mamakating town board opposes the closure. A NYS Department of Transportation representative told Councilman Matthew Mordas that “the community has not made a compelling argument to leave exit 114 open,” according to the town’s May 21 meeting minutes. “Matt expressed that the closure of exit 114 would affect traffic, the local economy, increase use of town-maintained roads, and be a safety factor. He urged those attending the board meeting to speak up. Write your representatives, write NYSDOT, sign and distribute the petitions.”