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Senator Wants End To Delays Building Taconic State Parkway Overpass

PUTNAM VALLEY, N.Y. - State Sen. Sue Serino expressed outrage over the delay in constructing the Pudding Street overpass after several more accidents were reported at the intersection this month.

The Pudding Street crossing on the Taconic State Parkway in Putnam Valley.

The Pudding Street crossing on the Taconic State Parkway in Putnam Valley.

Photo Credit: Google Maps

“Enough is enough,” the Hyde Park Republican said.

Serino, whose Senate District includes Putnam and Dutchess counties, has been working to get the state Department of Transportation to make the issue a priority since she took office last January. Pudding Street crosses the Taconic State Parkway in Putnam Valley.

“The Pudding Street overpass is clearly a danger and by ignoring it, the State is setting the residents of Putnam County up for disaster,'' Serino said on Monday. "How many more injuries does the State need to see before it is recognized as a legitimate issue?”

Earlier this year, Serino spoke with the commissioner of the state Department of Transportation regarding a proposed overpass at Pudding Street and its inherent dangers. 

After meeting with the regional director of the state DOT, Serino was assured that this project is one of the top priority projects in Region 8.

A proposed Pudding Street overpass has been the subject of public conversation for almost two decades.

Former Congresswoman Sue Kelly secured $1 million for a feasibility study. However, in order for the project to proceed, additional funding must be established in the Department of Transportation’s five-year Capital Plan. 

The Capital Plan is currently being negotiated as part of the state budget and Serino has sent letters to both the Senate’s Majority Leader John Flanagan and the chair of the Transportation Committee, Joe Robach, urging them to ensure that the project remains a priority.

“In politics, it is rare to see people wholly unified behind a single issue the way the Putnam County community has coalesced around this,” Serino siad in a press statement. “School officials, safety experts, law enforcement, parents, residents, lawmakers -- I have yet to meet someone opposed to the building of this overpass."

"It is time to cut the red tape and give the people what they deserve. The safety of our neighbors depends on it," Serino said.

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