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NYSDOT Announces Opening of New Stewart Airport Access Road
All major construction complete on $55 Million project
New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn have announced the opening of the newly constructed Interstate 84/New York Route 747 interchange, as well as the new Stewart Boulevard, which provides an east-west connection between NY 747, also known as Drury Lane, and Stewart International Airport in the Towns of Newburgh and New Windsor, Orange County. This signals completion of all major construction on a $55 million project to help alleviate area congestion, improve access to airport parking, and reduce travel times for both airport and local traffic.
Stewart Airport Commission Chairman Jim Wright said, "The State Department of Transportation is to be commended for making the right choice in selecting the Drury Lane alternative as the new gateway to Stewart Airport. The connector road will serve as a funnel to direct incoming traffic to our newly expanded parking facilities."
Port Authority Executive Director Anthony E. Shorris said, "An airport is only as good as its connections to passengers. Thanks to Governor Eliot Spitzer and the New York State DOT, this development, along with the new 350-space parking lot also opening this week, will serve as a signal that Stewart is primed for growth. And this is just the beginning. The Port Authority has set aside $500 million for investment in Stewart over the next decade, and we'll be using that money to help the airport realize its potential as a great regional gateway for the Hudson Valley and a global test-bed for the latest advances in green aviation."
More than one mile of new roadway was constructed as Stewart Boulevard in order to connect International Boulevard, also known as C Street, west to NY 747. Almost 3.5 miles of roadway on NY 747 was reconstructed and widened and an interchange connecting Interstate 84 and NY 747 was built, creating Exit 5A on Interstate 84. The project, which began in January 2006, also included roadside landscaping, the construction of four new bridge structures and the installation of traffic signals.
The project also included environmental improvements that recently earned it an Exemplary Ecosystem Initiative award from the Federal Highway Administration. Environmental aspects of the project include creation of 12 vernal pools for the blue spotted and Jefferson salamanders native to the area, as well as tunnel crossings underneath the roadway and amphibian barriers to direct salamanders to the tunnels, thereby keeping them off of the road. While not officially endangered, these are "Species of Special Concern" as noted by the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection.
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