TIGER Grant Application 8006.84 & 8006.96: Route 17 Highway Safety Improvements for Upgrade to Interstate 86: Exit 130A to 131 Highway Reconstruction Project Town and Village of Woodbury Town of Monroe, Village of Harriman Orange County United States House of Representatives 19th District Rural (Sub‐Urban) Location $60 million Request for TIGER Grant Funds This project is sponsored by the New York State Department of Transportation 1 Table of Contents Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 Project Description ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Project Name ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Description ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Project Need …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Sponsor …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 Cost and amount of TIGER Grant Request ……………………………………………………………………………… 5 Synopsis of Long‐Term Outcome and Job Creation Benefits ………………………………………………….. 5 Project Map …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7 Project Parties Description Requirements ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Shovel Ready Criteria Summary Requirements …………………………………………………………………………………….. 8 Project Schedule …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8 Environmental Approvals ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9 Legislative Approvals ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9 State and Local Planning …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 10 Technical Feasibility ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 Financial Feasibility …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11 Grant Fund Description and Table Format …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 11 Long‐Term Outcomes Requirements …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 12 State of Good Repair ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12 Economic Competitiveness …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 14 Livability ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 14 Sustainability ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15 Safety ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 17 Long‐Term Outcomes, Benefit/Cost Analysis Requirements …………………………………………………………………. 18 Job Creation and Economic Stimulus ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 19 On the Job Training ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 20 Construction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 20 Consultant Agreements …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 20 DBE Goal Setting Construction ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 20 Secondary Benefit Discussion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21 Contact Information ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 23 Application Contact ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 23 Project Contact ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 23 Appendices Appendix A ‐ PROJECT MAP Appendix B – ROAD USER ANALYSIS REPORT Appendix C – DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULES Appendix D – JOB CREATION SCHEDULE Appendix E – CERTIFICATIONS 2 Project Description Project Name This project is named Route 17 Highway Safety Improvements for Upgrade to Interstate 86: Exit 130A to 131, and is identified by the New York State Department of Transportation Project Identification Numbers (PIN) 8006.84 and 8006.96. Description This section of roadway is located in the Towns of Monroe and Woodbury in Orange County, New York. (Refer to page 7, General Location Map) This project proposes to reconstruct Exit 131 of New York State Route 17 at the Route 32 interchange on entirely new alignment. (Refer to Appendix, Figure 2) The project will upgrade Route 17 in the vicinity of Exits 130A and 131 to interstate standards for future conversion to I‐86. Improvements will improve safety and alleviate traffic operational deficiencies both on Route 32 and Route 17. This project is located at the eastern termini of the proposed I‐86 Corridor in New York, ending at the New York State Thruway (I‐87). The project length is 4.5 km (2.8 mi.) on Route 17 and 1.5 km (0.9mi) on Route 32. The NYS Route 17 at Exit 130A and 131 Project consists of reconstruction and realignment of the Exit 131 interchange and improvements at the Exit 130A interchange. In addition, the project includes other transportation system improvements, (such as sidewalks and a commuter parking lot with bus stop), needed to support the new interchange, to accommodate forecasted traffic growth, and to meet the needs of local and regional Master Plans. The project will also improve operations at the New York State Thruway (I87) Harriman Toll Plaza. NYS Route 17 is part of the National Highway System and is a Qualifying Highway on the National Network of Truck Access Highways. NYS Route 17 is a four lane facility that is one of the primary east‐west highways across southern New York State serving volumes in the project area over 65,000 AADT. NYS Route 17 is currently classified as a rural principal arterial. New York State is actively pursuing a program to convert the 613 kilometer (381 mile) facility to interstate 86. The western most 297 kilometers (185 miles) of Route 17 have already been designated as I‐86 and the remaining sections are being progressed using urban principal arterial interstate standards. Although this project is located in a section which has not yet received I‐86 designation, Route 17 in this area is currently signed as “Future I‐86”. A nine (9) mile section of Route 17 in the western part of Orange County is currently under construction and will receive I‐86 designation when construction is complete in 2011. This project will provide operational, safety and capacity improvements to the Exit 130A and 131 interchanges. Specifically, this project proposes to expand the Route 32 corridor to serve as an efficient distribution road to Route 6 (Leading to the Palisades Parkway and The George Washington Bridge), Interstate 87 (leading to the Tappan Zee Bridge), Route 17 South (New Jersey) and Route 17 West (Sullivan County Casino area). The project will also reconfigure the existing diamond interchange to a partial cloverleaf design that incorporates access to local frontage roads as well as Route 17 (Future I86). The project also improves the approach to the Harriman Toll Plaza with additional lanes and advanced electronic guide signing. The relative priority of the project is high, since federal designation for Interstate 86 has occurred for NYS Route 17 from the Pennsylvania State line to East Corning (Exit 43). The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA‐ 21) authorizes federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety and transit for the period of 1998‐2003. TEA‐21 provides language for Future I‐86 designation for the remainder of NYS Route 17 upon satisfactorily upgrading it to interstate standards. Exit 122 does not currently meet interstate standards. 3 Project Need The Route 17 Exit 131 and Exit 130A interchanges are a key part of an interchange hub that affects the entire downstate New York Region. Traffic backups at this interchange hub cause significant delays to travelers to and from the New York City area, destinations on Route 17 (Future I86), the Sullivan County and Binghamton areas, as well as to Interstate 87 northbound traffic destined for Albany, Saratoga, Lake George and other Adirondack areas. Daily commuter patterns affected include Route 6 to the Palisades Parkway and the George Washington Bridge, and I‐87 south to the Tappan Zee Bridge. The Exit 131 interchange was constructed in the early 1950’s in accordance with the design standards in place at that time. This project was initiated because several non‐standard roadway features have created operational, capacity and significant traffic safety problems. In addition, the sections of NYS Route 17 in the vicinity of Exit 131 have been designated as a Priority Investigation Location (PIL), which indicates significant accidents. The Woodbury Common Premium Outlet is an internationally advertised tourist destination that generates extremely large volumes of traffic during weekend commuting time periods. Significant traffic backups from the Woodbury Common facility on to Route 17 and the New York State Thruway (i87) regularly occur during peak shopping days. Traffic delays impact the operation of this facility and the surrounding areas to the extent that an emergency service team has been formed to manage and redirect traffic. Still, long traffic delays that impact Route 17 and Interstate 87 occur. The area is largely impassable for local traffic during these time periods causing consternation to area residents and emergency services. Traffic backups in this area are considered to be a regional problem that receives a large amount of attention from the press. Emergency service, bus service and access to rail are also directly affected by the heavy congestion. The Exit 131 Interchange area is currently considered to be one of the most important bus service and park‐and‐ ride locations in the region. Currently, over 2000 weekday commuting passengers utilize bus service through the Exit 131 area making Exit 131 a convenient point to access bus service or transfer between services. Two major bus routes exist in the area provided by Coach USA Short Line destined for either Route 17 southbound or the NYS Thruway southbound. The area is also attractive to ride‐sharers commuting south. Historically, the demand for parking spaces regularly exceeds available capacity. Currently, traffic delays in this interchange significantly affect the quality of bus