Motorists traveling along the Quickway, between Middletown and Bloomingburg, will face periodic delays due to bridge reconstruction at Exit 118 in Fair Oaks. Brown Road is the name of the overpass which crosses the State Route 17 "Quickway," allowing westbound traffic to access all-night gas stations. Its roadway was torn down the night of April 3. Work won't be finished until early November 2007.

Traffic on the north side of the Quickway, near Exit 118, will be detoured to Goshen Turnpike, which lets out on 17K near Bloomingburg's Exit 116. Weld Road, a westbound service road, detours westwards towards Tarbell Road (formerly "Exit 117"), intersecting with Goshen Turnpike.

The purpose of the bridge replacement is "to bring it into conformity with current standards as part of the NY 17 / I-86 conversion project," according to a Department of Transportation press release. The bridge needs to be raised about two feet, to meet federal interstate standards. Similar work was completed last year for the Route 209 overpass in Wurtsboro, Exit 113. Goshen's Fletcher Street crossing at Exit 124 was rebuilt in late 2003. Exit 122 at Crystal Run Road is expected to see a major reconstruction in 2009. A new bridge connecting Wal-Mart at the Orange Plaza, to the Galleria across Route 17, has also been proposed to alleviate congestion along Route 211.

Quickway projects such as these are part of a larger scheme for upgrading the entire Southern Tier Expressway to federal interstate status. Officials believe that changing the name of "Quickway" Route 17, to "Interstate" 86 will bring economic benefit. According to a study conducted in 2000 by Wilbur Smith Associates, the newly named interstate is expected to garner $3.2 billion for the Southern Tier region. One major financial benefit of the I-86 upgrade, says the study, is the huge construction costs involved, much injected directly into the local economy.

"The elevation of the Southern Tier and Hudson Valley in the minds of tourists may be dramatic," says the study. "This impact includes not only a psychological element but also a practical one... This is the 'Blue-Line' concept, which refers to the color of Interstates on most maps." When people look at a map for planning a trip, or siting a business, the most visible roads are upon the Interstate freeway system. "The reasoning is that Interstate quality is consistent virtually throughout the nation, so these roads are most often chosen for travel."

As a modern highway, the Quickway was slated to enjoy interstate status. However, under construction in the 1950s, stiff opposition from the competing NYS Thruway Authority stymied efforts to secure federally funded designation. An 8.3 mile leg of highway between Fair Oaks and Goshen, completed in July 1951, represents the first stretch of NYS Quickway built locally. Gradually, the Quickway continued, from Harriman to Binghamton, until completed in 1960.

More recently, interstate status for the Quickway was renewed. I-86's revival along NY 17's corridor sprung from Samara Barend, an intern for former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Barend's idea snowballed among transportation experts; eventually gaining support from local, state and Federal officials. By 1999, signs along the Quickway officially announced "Future US 86."

Officials from the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) stressed that heavy work is required on the eastern portion, from Corning to the NYS Thruway in Orange County. NYSDOT expects the I-86 conversion project to be finally completed by 2012. Cost estimates for the I-86 conversion range from $600 million to $900 million.

Motorists are reminded that fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. In accordance with the Work Zone Safety Act of 2005, convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of the driver's license.

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