Letter to the Editor: 17 Forward 86 study is self

To the Editor:

The interest group “17 Forward 86,” backed by large engineering and construction firms, claims that Route 17 “needs” to be widened with additional lanes (“Study shows….” Mid-Hudson News, August 13, 2025, by Hank Gross.) This type of biased “study,” funded by a self-serving source, is about as credible and anti-scientific as the Marlboro Man’s past claims that cigarettes are healthy.

Actual real-world data produced by the NYS Department of Transportation show that Route 17 is congested only at very limited times of the year, largely westbound on summer Fridays and eastbound on summer Sundays, as city residents drive to and from their weekend homes in our region. Wasting $1.4 billion catering to that small percentage of the population rather than full-time residents would be