The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the state Department of Transportation gave the traveling public an early Thanksgiving gift Nov. 20: the official opening of the Drury Lane connection from Interstate 84 directly into Stewart International Airport in time for the holiday crush.
The long-sought artery was ready one month ahead of schedule.
Earlier this month, the Port Authority”™s board of directors announced its tentative 10-year capital plan. Of the $29.5 billion earmarked for improvements to its transportation infrastructure in that time, $500 million will be pumped directly into Stewart.
The Port Authority had previously pledged $150 million of those funds in immediate upgrades, already evident to those traveling down the newly named Stewart Boulevard (formerly International Boulevard) to the 350-space parking area built to combat parking problems that have plagued Stewart since jetBlue and Air Tran started offering service earlier this year.
Inside the terminal, an additional 200 seats were added in the baggage claim area, and more improvements are on the way for passenger comfort, said Port Authority spokesman Pasqaule DiFulco.
By far, the best news was the completion of the long-awaited “gateway” to Stewart.  The  Drury Lane project is now renamed Route 747 and officially open for business, allowing cars and trucks to enter the airport directly from the interstate rather than scrambling on already overtaxed local roads.
The opening of Route 747 was perhaps the home run in the Port Authority”™s string of base hits last week.
Earlier Nov. 20, before the Department of Transportation officially cut the ribbon on the new connector road, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announced the re-naming of International Boulevard as Stewart Boulevard and praised the Port Authority for putting together a citizens”™ advisory committee.
Joining the Poughkeepsie Chamber of Commerce”™s 100th anniversary breakfast at the Grandview, Schumer told the packed room of business and community leaders he hoped the Port Authority would be “sensitive to the community” surrounding the expanding airport.
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Schumer, who sits on the Senate”™s Finance Committee, said he”™ll push for a rail connection linking Stewart to the proposed tunnel the Port Authority is planning underneath the Hudson. As part of the PA”™s $7 billion “Access to the Region”™s Core” plan, Schumer says extending the new rail tunnel link directly to the Metro-North Hudson line and into Stewart is the ultimate goal, estimating the cost to be between $1 billion to $2 billion. “The east side of the Hudson has direct rail connection, but it”™s not the same situation on the west side … creating  a one-seat ride into Manhattan for Rockland and Orange commuters is needed,” he said.
Schumer noted the mid-Hudson is the fastest growing segment of the state ”“ but its public transportation infrastructure has not kept pace with the growth, particularly on the western side of the river.
Travelers on Interstate 87 have been watching the progress of the DOT and state Thruway Authority as they prepare to move toll booths and reconfigure the roadway at Exit 17, creating a direct merge onto I-84. The conjoined route will permit trucks and cars traveling north on the Thruway to merge onto I-84 without having to leave the highway system. The merge is expected to be ready by late 2009.
Retail construction around the airport has boomed over the past three years, with several large national chains opening their doors, including Lowe”™s, Home Depot, Barnes & Noble and Pier I Imports. With the Newburgh Mall in close proximity and the proposed Marketplace shopping center nipping at its heels across the street, Route 300 has become a logistical nightmare for shoppers and those en route to Stewart. The new connector road and improvements to Exit 17 should help to alleviate the traffic on Routes 300 and 17K.
John D”™Ambrosio, who has been a staunch supporter of Stewart International Airport since its first commercial flight in 1992, said, “When we started this project (Drury Lane) 15 years ago, I had hair. We have had the two biggest days that we could have in airport history in the past month: the PA taking over the airport and the opening of the road.”
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