WURTSBORO, NY — In a letter to the commissioner of New York State’s Department of Transportation, U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro called on the state to keep Exit 114 on Route 17 open.

“Exit 114 on Route 17 leads directly into the Village of Wurtsboro, where it provides residents of the village and surrounding communities, as well as tourists, with easy access to dozens of stores and restaurants. In addition to the economic implications of closing the exit, there are also safety concerns. If there is an emergency in the Village of Wurtsboro, emergency responders coming from the south would need to travel a further distance to reach the village. When every second counts in an emergency, we can’t risk public safety.

“It is clear that closing Exit 114 would have a negative ripple effect across the Wurstboro community and comes with major economic and safety concerns. Therefore, I urge you to keep Exit 114 on Route 17 open.”

A petition with 3,500 signatures was attached to the letter to highlight how important it is to keep the exit open.