City delays action on rooftop highway

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June 19, 2009

By JOE LOTEMPLIO The Press Republican Fri Jun 19, 2009, 10:25 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — The idea of a “rooftop highway” across northern New York has been around since the Kennedy administration, but City of Plattsburgh councilors want more time to see if they support the proposal.

A resolution asking for symbolic support of the highway plan was on Thursday night’s agenda for the council to consider.

Mayor Donald Kasprzak said he put the item on the agenda after several groups backing the plan asked for general support.

175 MILES

The rooftop highway would be a 175-mile, four-lane expressway from Watertown in Jefferson County in the west, to Champlain in the east.

It would mirror Route 11 and have options for a spur from Ellenburg to Plattsburgh along Route 190.

In 1961, State Sen. Robert McEwen (R-Ogdensburg) introduced the idea as a bill, and it was approved by the State Legislature. But Gov. Nelson Rockefeller vetoed the bill, saying the road was too expensive.

The bill was re-worked and reintroduced in May 1963, and Rockefeller signed the bill establishing the “rooftop highway.”

But the project generated little support from the State Department of Transportation and never got approval from the federal government, even though President Richard Nixon endorsed the idea in 1971.

COSTLY

The cost today for the project is estimated at about $1 billion, and city councilors were not sure Thursday night that they wanted to pledge their support for a plan with such a high price tag.

Councilor Michael Kelly (D-Ward 2) said he was opposed to a rooftop highway for several reasons. Among those, he said, are that there is not enough traffic to warrant such a road, building a highway doesn’t fit as a economic-stimulus plan, a large road like that would be a burden to maintain, and major highways are not environmentally friendly.

Councilor James Calnon (I-Ward 4) said that while a rooftop highway might not be a bad idea, more inclusive plans to include rail service, energy and information transport should also be considered.

“I’d be happy to wait on this until we get some more information,” he said.

Councilor George Rabideau (R-Ward 3) said he’s never seen a definitive plan for the highway. He also suggested waiting on the vote.

Councilor Chris Jackson (D-Ward 6) said the city has yet to hear word on the stimulus projects it has proposed to the federal government.

“It’s hard for me to vote for something like this when we can’t get an answer on our projects yet.”

DRIVES TO MALONE

Councilor Timothy Carpenter (D-Ward 1), who has driven to Malone for work since 1986, said the Route 11 corridor from Plattsburgh to Watertown has improved greatly in recent years.

He said Jason Clark, director of economic development and chairman of the Northern Corridor Transportation Group in Massena, would be willing to give the council a presentation on the project if they wanted.

Kasprzak said he would be willing to wait a few weeks while the council studied the idea further.

“This idea has been out there for quite some time, and there is plenty of information on it.”

JOB CREATION

The mayor noted that U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-Brooklyn) and former New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton both supported the rooftop highway.

“Just think of where the North Country would be if we did not have I-87 (Adirondack Northway) or we didn’t get those infrastructure improvements for the Olympics in Lake Placid in 1980,” Kasprzak said.

“This project would create hundreds of jobs and provide safer and quicker transportation to hospitals and all kinds of businesses.”

The council unanimously voted to postpone indefinitely the resolution asking for support of the plan.

E-mail Joe LoTemplio at:

jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com