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Brian Adey
 798-5800

Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today called for the New York State Thruway Authority to enhance the region’s transportation system by developing an E-Z Pass Interchange in Marcy.

“Having a transportation infrastructure that enables new opportunity is vital to the economic growth of Oneida County. The Marcy area has a very unique layout of highways due to the parallel construction of the Thruway and the Utica-Rome Expressway,” Griffo said. “Adding an E-Z Pass exit in Marcy would allow for our region to take full advantage of this and increase efficiency for those using the exit to reach the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, SUNYIT and the potential Chip-Fab site, or the New York State corrections complex in Marcy.”

Griffo also noted that an E-Z Pass exit could also help Marcy area merchants along the former Route 49 that have been impacted by the loss of traffic and customers due to the opening of the Utica-Rome Expressway.

“I believe that the key to our future is to maximize every available asset we have to develop opportunities for growth,” Griffo said. “This project can be developed for a fraction of the cost of the eventual Thruway connection envisaged when the Marcy-Utica-Deerfield project was first proposed 25 years ago.”

Griffo said that he is aware the concept has been informally discussed by state and local transportation officials on an exploratory basis. “Through my role as County Executive in developing a long-range transportation vision for our region, I know this concept has been explored. I want to see the state move from an informal discussion to a very serious consideration of this project.”

Griffo said the E-Z Pass interchanges would cost significantly less than completing the original vision of the Marcy-Utica-Deerfield project. Griffo said that only E-Z Pass customers would enter and exit the Thruway at Marcy; all others would continue to use Exit 31. Griffo listed several advantages of the proposal :

Drivers who are heading to the Marcy area can go to their destination, relieving delays and traffic jams at the Exit 31 Interchange on Genesee Street in Utica.

Air Quality Improvement is expected due to the reduction of slow or stopped (idling) vehicles on the existing exit or entrance ramps.

The project maximizes interconnectivity between the New York State Thruway (I-90) and I-790 with Routes 5,8,12, and 49 and provides access to the region’s main North-South and East/-West corridors.

Implementation has no apparent negative environmental impacts.

“The design of the highway network in Marcy allows us to upgrade our transportation network to create new economic opportunities and increase our ability to positively market the SUNYIT Chip Fab location,” Griffo said. “I believe this project should be a Thruway priority as one of the next major steps in our continual efforts to build a stronger region and a stronger economy.”

Griffo said that state officials should consider expanding the E-Z Pass interchange concept across the region. “Because E-Z Pass is so popular, developing E-Z Pass interchanges across our region would allow us to integrate the Thruway into our transportation infrastructure as part of our economic development efforts,” he said, noting that areas such as the Route 840 / Judd Road connector in New Hartford offer ideal access because of the close proximity of the Thruway and existing highways, and that other areas, such as the Rome Gateway intersection of Routes 46, 49 & 69 near Fort Stanwix, require better high-speed access to improve economic and commercial vitality.