Prayer Gathering On Thruway Concerns Officials

Slaotsburg, NY — Every summer there’s an interesting sight on the New York State Thruway: dozens of men gathering to pray on public property in Sloatsburg.

Which leads some to wonder, Is there more than meets the eye? And why are state officials concerned?

DOT: Slower Isn’t Safer On Route 17

Lowering the speed limit on Route 17 would not make the highway safer, according to an internal state Department of Transportation report.

In fact, reducing the limit from 65 mph to 55 mph could reduce safety on the stretch of highway between the Town of Wallkill to the New York State Thruway.

“If (the speed limit) was lowered, it might be more dangerous,” said Josh Ribakove, a DOT spokesman.

Pleasant Stretch of Road Proves Deadly, but Why?

SLOATSBURG, NY — With the Ramapo Mountains forming a rugged backdrop, the stretch of New York State Thruway between Exit 15A and Exit 16 is a pleasant, mostly straight and altogether unremarkable ribbon of highway, looking every bit the prototypical interstate designed to take drivers quickly and safely from city to city.

State Set to Install Rt. 17 Median Barriers

Orange County, NY — A state contractor is set to begin installing a metal barrier in the middle of Route 17 next month to prevent cars from crossing the grassy median and colliding with oncoming traffic.

The Department of Transportation had planned to do the work in 2009 but moved up its schedule after a spate of deadly crossover crashes, including one in October in Chester that killed a young New York City couple and left their 10-month-old daughter an orphan.

Bungalow colony applications keep Fallsburg Planning Board busy

South Fallsburg, NY — The Town of Fallsburg remains the epicenter in Sullivan County for interest in developing and expanding bungalow colonies. Of the 14 items before the Planning Board Thursday night, 11 were related to the town’s seasonal Orthodox Jewish community. If approved, they would add more than 600 new units with more than 3,000 new residents.

The largest single project on the agenda was Walden Pond, a single and multifamily 350 town house development with 45,000 square feet of commercial space proposed for Woodbourne at Leins Road and Route 52. The Planning Board will send a letter to the Town Board that the developer has been “positively cooperating” with the planning process. The town has conditionally approved the rezoning to a half-acre.