The 4-lanes section was already planned for back in the 1950's and 1960's! And the land right-of-way is still valid all these years later. That's why there's a large expanse of nothingness for miles along the eastern side of the highway in Hurley. That's why there is so much room at the righthand side of the highway when traveling northbound under the Main St. Bridge in Hurley-- because there are supposed to be 2 more lanes there. Now while I'm not in favor of doing this irresponsibly (a.k.a. "damaging the environment" or "disrupting the sleepy little town"), I AM in favor of allowing our infrastructure to grow to meet the needs of an expanding population. Ulster County keeps touting its "Tourism" initiatives, yet is doing nothing to welcome tourists as they approach Kingston, the centerpiece of the County! All the highways and road entryways into the City of Kingston are absolutely collapsing in on themselves due to neglect. Let's clean up our act and start having a vision of improving our infrastructure for future generations to use instead of allowing them to crumble and deteriorate.

And just how do you think this is going to be paid for? And keep in mind in that right of way are several places that are on the national register of historic places and cannot be touched! I saw what happened in dutchess county hen they extended route 55 to 4 lanes past burnett boulevard where the 4 lanes used to end. Lots of businesses are gone and quiet little apple valley is no more! 209 is fine just the way it is right now leave well enough alone!

Again, I have to say, at what price do you want to be able to get to work faster? If you want easy commuting, move south toward NYC and you can enjoy lots of wide roads.

One more thing, If we can't keep up maintaining the infrastructure now, how can we expect to have money to maintain wider roads? Just because they planeed for it in the 1950's doesn't mean we have to do it. Things change. We also planned for nuclear war back then. The Catskill Mountain Railroad is updating their tracks and hopefully will be able to offer tourists rides on the train, a bike path, all without having to widen the road.

That aint gintg to happen. You got a better chance of hitting the lottery. The expansion was only planned to the gill farmstand. After that the property is privately owned. Get your facts straight. I would rateher see some money spent on paving whats there.

Well, the Catskill Mountain Railroad is a good idea because it is a historical organization. And hopefully in the process of repairing the current non-DOT-specification railroad crossing, they will re-evaluate that whole stretch of Route 209 in order to update it to modern highway standards. I'm just suggesting that the upgrading of that area of Route 209 to 4 lanes should be something that New York State and Ulster County should evaluate as a plan for the future. We need to stop this insane constant worshipping of the status-quo here in the Mid-Hudson Valley, and start modernizing our thinking, instead of trying to live our lives as though it's the year 1890. I have traveled throughout many areas of New York State, and it's ashame to see that the Hudson Valley Region is so stuck in this "leave-it-alone, it's-good-enough" mentality. That's why the sewers and streets in the City of Kingston are collapsing in on themselves. That's why most of the roads and streets throughout Ulster County (and all of New York State) are crumbling. Because nobody even thinks of the benefits of modernization of our infrastructure. The cost is always too great. The inconvenience is always too much to handle. Well if THAT'S your thinking, then go back to driving a horse-and-buggy and living in a straw hut, because that's the type of life you want to live.

It would really be great if at the very least, the area where people from Route 28 are supposed to merge onto 209, AND 209 merges into ONE lane could be fixed, allowing people to yield and merge safely. This is a huge trouble spot. I cannot count the amount of times that I have been sitting at the yield sign, just waiting for traffic to pass so I can just get onto 209. I don't mind waiting, but we have people that do not (and sometimes cannot) move over and allow people to merge, and people coming down the ramp that do not yield at all and just floor it to get out into traffic, almost causing an accident. I am waiting for the day to come when I am STOPPED for a long time at the YIELD sign (every afternoon when I am coming home from work), and someone comes flying down the ramp and hits me. It has nearly happened many times. I've actually very recently had someone go around me as I am sitting at the yield sign, waiting to merge. They didn't even slow down, they just went around me and cut off traffic, nearly killing everyone.

Of course, perhaps stationing a trooper there would stop the nonsense as well. People may be more likely to move over and allow people to yield and merge, instead of sit there and wait to get hit because people don't want to move over.

At any rate, I apologize for going off on a tangent. I am supporting change to the roads in this area. I don't think it will ever happen, though.

with the amount of car accidents in this area of 209 i dont think adding two more lanes is a safe idea

I believe that it would be good to have a few spots between Ellenville and Kingston where there could be passing. The problem when you travel 209 is that many people believe the speed limit is 30mph all the way through that area. I have made the trip countless times and it can take 20 minutes one day and an hour on others. I don't think anyone wants to remove the feel of the hamlets you have to drive through but where there is an opportunity to widen the road for enough length to allow for passing a slow vehicle it would move people safer. I have seen many people get frustrated and pass on the double yellow just to get around someone whom has a line of cars behind them of which they seem to be oblivious. When Walmart opens in Napanoch it will be worse. If someone is going 20mph you literally have no safe opportunity to get around them, it can get frustrating. I think this would be much less expensive proposition and enjoyable solution than to just run a fourway highway through the countryside.

I drive this road everyday to work. Its fine as is. Once you get pass Hurley everyone heads to the Thruway. It would be a major mistake to make this a bigger road. You still have to feed into two and then exit on the rte. 28 to get to the thruway. No benefit, but only to the construction industry. The cries for more lanes comes from those who want to drive 70 mph down rte. 209. Be careful what you wish for.

Well said Luis. I think people don't realize the impact of adding even a single lane. If we want quality of life, then we have to sacrifice some things. I travel this road also and YES, it is slow during rush hour but I'll take it anyday rather than have a road like Route 17 in Paramus, NJ. After all, that is what it will become. It has happened everywhere.

This is the exact type of "oh, it's good enough" type thinking which separates us (a pathetic, has-been state) from states like Texas and Utah and Florida which are growing states!

A great example of this is near Albany, where the NYS Thruway is FINALLY getting widened to 6 lanes between Exits 23 & 24.

When the Thruway was built during the mid-1950's, they projected that by the year 1980 that stretch of the highway would be carrying enough traffic to warrant adding a 3rd lane along that stretch.

IT IS NOW 33 YEARS LATER, and that section of the Thruway is carrying almost 5 times the traffic it was designed to carry!!

This is how we do everything in this state-- wait until our infrastructure is choking and crumbling, and will cost ungodly amounts of money to repair/replace it! We shouldn't be REACTIVE, we should be PROACTIVE.

When it takes you 1 hour to go from Kingston to Stone Ridge, I hope you're happy sitting in traffic and wasting gas!

Bemodern, I understand the frustration about sitting in traffic but if we follow your plan to be "proactive" we will have 4 lane roads everywhere and no place worth going to because there will be roads everywhere. We, as a human species have the power to destroy the natural landscape or be creative and figure out a way that we can preserve the natural beauty we have been given. More cars "waste" more gas. Soon, we will all be driving electric cars because the gas will run out.

1 hour from Kingston to Stone Ridge? Heck, on my bicycle on Lucas or Hurley Mountain road I can ride to Stone Ridge in an hour. Route 209 is fine as is. The only time it takes an hour to drive from Kingston to Stone Ridge is if there is a bad snow storm.

An hour from Ellenville not Stone Ridge. Some times it can be a slow ride if there is a slow vehicle in front of you. There just isn't a safe place to get around someone between Ellenville and Kingston. There are numerous times when you get stuck behind someone doing 30-35mph all the way and it can be frustrating.

I just want to say that I am very pleased that this discussion is being conducted in a civil respectful manner. Thank you.

Seems that unless you make it 4 lane all the way to Ellenville (an impossibility) you're going to get traffic backed up in Stone Ridge

Follow the old RR bed right down to RT 17 in wurtsboro bypassing the small towns like Stone ridge.

The old RR bed is the rail trail. Ask the homeowners along that corridor how they would like a new highway where there currently is none. And to whose benefit?

NO

I'd prefer we spend the limited highway funds on safety issues. There are many bridges in the area that need structural repair. The Wurts Street Bridge is a prime example. Let's make sure folks are safe before we make the ride to Stone Ridge quicker.

I drive this road a lot and have never encountered much of a problem. And I do believe that the large expanse to the east of Rt 209 is due to the removal of the railroad not a proposed expansion of the road. We need to spend our money on more important road issues.

First, To Frank=fmerg Did you ever stop to think the number of accidents might decrease if you were able to safely get around the moron in front of you that hasnt done the speed limit since they bought their Prius????? I know how to make the commute to Kingston shorter......Lower the speed limit to 25 miles per hour! Nannys.... everyone so afraid ..... The speed limit used to be 55 from just south of Tongore but the Marbletown Town Board petitioned the State DOT to lower it for "Safety" and to pocket more trafiic ticket money! Speed limit on County Rt 2 used to be 55 then 40 now they want it down to 25 because of a handful of whiners that think its too dangerous..... Big gulps are next to go in Stone Ridge right along with common sense! If everyone would be taught how to drive properly to begin with we wouldnt have these problems..... Dont see it changing with all these "Progressive" types crying for safety!