ECCO III Begins Route 17, Exit 122 Upgrade
TOWN OF WALLKILL, NY—The major construction project to upgrade State Route 17’s Exit 122 interchange here in Orange County will reconfigure the roadway to meet federal interstate standards. The $67.8-million project is now underway and will transform the eastern portion of the interchange to create a new roadway system that will enhance safety and improve traffic flow at this vital junction serving this fast-growing region of the state.
Exit 122 is a major interchange that links State Route 17 with Interstate 84 and provides access to a host of area retail centers, lodging and medical facilities. The new project, which also includes a new shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, builds on the success of earlier work, completed in 2015, that reconstructed the western portion of the Exit 122 interchange.
NYSDOT officials described the project as the first phase of the eventual expansion of Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan counties. The Exit 122 project is part of an overall and ongoing effort by NYSDOT to upgrade a 30-mile stretch of the highway in Orange and Sullivan counties to interstate standards. A scoping report for the project to enhance safety and mobility along this corridor was released in September last year.
Earlier this year, NYSDOT reported that ECCO III Enterprises Inc. of Yonkers, NY was the lowest of eight bidders at $67,841,000 for highway & bridge reconstruction on NY Route 17 at Exit 122, Contract 2, in Wallkill.
NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said on March 24 that the project has started and will create a state-of-the-art interchange at this location along with a new shared use path. The centerpiece of the project is the creation of a new collector-distributor (C-D) service road adjacent to State Route 17 that will connect the highway with entrance and exit ramps at East Main Street/Crystal Run Road. The C-D road will serve to separate through-traffic on the highway from vehicles that are exiting or entering State Route 17, creating a more efficient traffic flow and minimizing interactions between vehicles traveling at high-speeds on the mainline and those just entering and exiting the highway, NYSDOT officials stated.
To accommodate the C-D road and new acceleration and deceleration lanes needed for this project, the bridge carrying State Route 17 over the Wallkill River at Exit 122 will be reconstructed. Seven lane miles of roadway, including all exit and entrance ramps, will be resurfaced with fiber-reinforced, warm-mix asphalt, which is more long lasting and durable than traditional asphalt; and new high visibility pavement markings and reflectors will be installed to further enhance safety.
A 10-foot-wide shared use path will be constructed along East Main Street/Crystal Run Road to provide pedestrians and cyclists with connections to local hotels, restaurants and medical facilities, including Garnet Health Medical Center. New curb ramps, pedestrian signals and crosswalks will also be installed at Crystal Run Crossing, the new westbound off ramp from State Route 17, the existing eastbound exit ramp and the medical center’s driveway.
Published: March 25, 2025.