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New York State Transit

Hochul Hits Pause on Hudson Valley Highway Expansion

Reporting from New York Focus last year found that the project would save drivers six minutes max, at a cost of $1.3 billion.

Sam Mellins   ·   October 14, 2025
A collage of Hochul and the route 17 highway
The Hochul administration has directed billions of dollars towards highway expansions. | Photos: Governor's Office | Illustration: New York Focus

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A controversial highway expansion in the Hudson Valley has been delayed after pushback from transportation planners and environmentalists, who argued that it isn’t necessary and would harm the local environment.

Kathy Hochul in front of a map of New York Route 17.

The long-planned project, which Governor Kathy Hochul has championed, would expand a 30-mile stretch of highway in New York’s Orange and Sullivan counties, about 60 miles northwest of New York City. Last year, New York Focus reported that the project would cost the state at least $1.3 billion and save drivers just one to six minutes.

A study from the state Department of Transportation, or DOT, found that expanding the highway would reduce crashes, but also found that the same result could be achieved through other means, like lowering speed limits. The study found that severe traffic on the highway, known as Route 17, is rare: Drivers generally average 60 miles per hour on the highway, even during the busiest times of the week.

Local politicians and labor unions have supported the project, arguing that it’s necessary to ease congestion and accommodate population growth.

In a statement issued on October 2, Department of Transportation spokesperson Jim Rusak said that while the department still considers the project “vital” to the Hudson Valley and is “fully committed” to it, “more time is needed to re-assess the project alternatives in consideration of feedback received.”

The state is considering several options for the project, including expanding the highway in specific locations, adding another lane along the entire stretch, or performing minimal safety-focused maintenance.

“I think it’s great, and credit to DOT for being flexible in their thinking,” said Rachel Weinberger, a transportation researcher and planner at the nonprofit Regional Plan Association. “I thought this was just going to be a more straightforward ‘We build highways,’ but this DOT is showing that it’s got more depth and nuance.”

A New York City subway on the left, and highway traffic on the right.

Before the recent delay, the project was slated for completion in 2030. DOT spokesperson Glenn Blain did not confirm whether that is still the case, saying instead that “construction timetables will be determined” as the project progresses.

Though the state’s official climate plan calls for reducing car dependence, the Hochul administration has directed billions of dollars towards highway expansions, using both state cash and money from former President Joe Biden’s signature infrastructure law. In some limited cases, the state has even diverted money from pedestrian and train projects to highways.

The recent announcement about Route 17 could be a sign that the state is shifting gears. And it’s not the only such indication: Streetsblog reported last week that the DOT is canceling a plan to add an expansion road to the Cross Bronx Expressway, which local politicians had criticized as a covert highway enlargement.

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Sam Mellins is senior reporter at New York Focus, which he has been a part of since launch day. His reporting has also appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Intercept, THE CITY, and The Nation. Reach him on Signal: mellins.613
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