The following is a letter that was sent to the NYS Department of Transporation, and forwarded to the Watershed Post. -- Ed.
August 5, 2014
Joan McDonald, Commissioner
NYS Department of Transportation
50 Wolf Road
Albany, NY 12232
Re: NYS Routes #10 and #28
Dear Commissioner McDonald:
I am writing to you to express my concern over the total lack of maintenance on these two main arteries through Delaware County. The condition of these highways should be an embarrassment to you and to all of our elected officials serving in Albany. As Tourism Director for Delaware County, I hear complaints from visitors and proprietors of tourism properties, as well as residents of Delaware County on almost a daily basis. Letters to the editor have started to appear in local media. I happen to live on Rt. #28 and two years ago I watched a contractor spray tar into cracks in the pavement in order to attempt to seal the road. There were so many cracks that your vehicle would vibrate unbelievably at anything approaching the posted speed limit. These highways have become so rough that many people have started traveling Delaware County roads instead of state highways as they are much smoother.
There is a bridge in Delhi on Kingston Street (Rt 28) that was supposed to be replaced a number of years ago, but your Department has decided to postpone the project. I understand having to maximize a budget, but your employees have basically stopped maintaining the bridge and you have left the Village of Delhi with a bridge that is covered with rust, peeling green paint, and potholes. Not very appealing for a main entrance to a Village that is home to one of your SUNY facilities not to mention concerns that we all have about safety possible safety issues.
In the Catskills we rely on tourism and outdoor recreation as a prime driver of our local economy. A major component of the recreational industry is cycling. These two NYS Highways are unfit for cycling due to seams and potholes and as a matter of fact they are not safe to ride on. The shoulders of the road have started to have large chunks of blacktop break away and are laying by the side of the road. This situation combined with the overall condition of the pavement has created a hazardous situation and is nothing more than an accident waiting to happen.
I ask you to intervene and direct your regional people to pay attention to our county and properly maintain your infrastructure. I am copying Governor Cuomo and our elected state officials with this letter as I am very aware of the Governors' commitment to tourism as an industry and really don't think this is the way he envisions the maintenance of the NY State infrastructure. Please do the right thing and intervene immediately. The taxpayers and visitors of Delaware County deserve much better than this.
Sincerely,
James R. Thomson
Tourism Director, Delaware County
Cc. Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Sen John Bonacic
Sen James Seward
Sen Thomas Libous
Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney
Assemblyman Clifford Crouch
Assemblyman Peter Lopez
Delaware County Board Chairman James Eisel
