A $14.8 million state-funded project to resurface Route 22 in Village of Brewster and the towns of Southeast, Patterson and Pawling has commenced.
“The repaving of Route 22 is great news for the Town of Southeast,” said Supervisor Nick Durante. “The road bisects our town and is used by thousands of drivers every day, whether they are residents of Southeast or commuters or tourists driving on their way. A newly paved road will protect people’s cars from the wear and tear of potholes.
The funding was secured with the help of State Sen. Pete Harckham, D-Peekskill, and Assemblyman Matt Slater, R-Yorktown.
“This is an important investment for Putnam County that I’m proud to support,” said Slater. “Hudson Valley taxpayers deserve safe roads, and I will continue to work with Sen. Harckham and every partner in government to accomplish this objective.”
Route 22 carries approximately 20,000 drivers daily and is identified as a part of the New York State Freight Core Highway Network from Route 55 in Dutchess County to Interstate 84 in Putnam County. The corridor provides freight connection between the urban area of Poughkeepsie and the State of Connecticut via I-84 eastbound and Westchester County via I-684.
Trucks account for 8 percent of the average annual daily traffic within the corridor.
The project will resurface approximately 12 miles of Route 22, and work is expected to be completed in August.
“The Route 22 project is an important step toward improving the roadways in our area, which has the most lane miles and number of bridges of any NYS Department of Transportation region,” said Hackham. “Better roads are essential for our safety and for our economy. I will continue to fight for sustained long-term investments in our infrastructure to make repairs and upgrades, as well as new designs that will help meet the increased use by residents and business owners.”
Last year, Harckham and Slater sent a joint letter to NYSDOT voicing concern about area roadways, and both legislative offices have fielded an inordinate number of complaints regarding problems with road surfaces.