Press Release

With Possible Routes Now Determined, Connector Project Not Feasible

High Cost, Negative Impact, Makes Project Not The Right Fit For Montgomery County

We have given substantial consideration to the proposal to build the Fonda Connector, a new limited access roadway that would reroute traffic from Thruway exit 28 to the Johnstown Industrial Park. The staff of the Montgomery County Business Development Center (MCBDC) has reviewed the Draft Feasibility Study that has recently been completed pursuant to this initiative and we have reviewed their findings. After due deliberation, we must state, unambiguously, that the proposed project does not make sense for a number of reasons and, as such, we must oppose this project. The facts are that the project will have a profound negative impact upon the residents of the Town of Mohawk and businesses in downtown Fonda. Additionally, the project is a colossal waste of political capital and furthermore, the conclusions of the Feasibility Study seem contrived and pre-determined.

Recently, Montgomery County and Fulton County have enjoyed a strong collaborative relationship when it comes to economic development. We are working very closely with Fulton County representatives to ensure that the Regional Business Park, an economically important project to be located along Route 30, at the boundary of Montgomery and Fulton counties, becomes a reality. Montgomery County has invested considerable resources in economic development and has made economic development a paramount priority. Furthermore, we understand the importance of addressing economic development in a regional context.

However, the Fonda Connector project is one that we must oppose. This was not a decision that was made lightly. It is clear after analyzing the positive and negative impacts of the project, together with the significant costs associated with even the least costly alternative, it quickly became clear to us that the disadvantages far outweigh its benefit. The Feasibility Study has significant technical weaknesses and utilizes certain underlying (and we believe unsupportable) assumptions regarding positive economic impact. Our chief concerns are as follows:

• The fact is that should any of the proposed alternative roadway routes be built, it would forever change the character of the Town of Mohawk in a negative manner. Owners of property seized to build these routes by eminent domain would be affected even more dramatically. There simply is not enough of a compelling public need to justify taking private property, including farms that have been in families for generations, to build this connector. There is a lot to be said about local sovereignty when it comes to decisions that affect a single town this dramatically.
• This project would negatively impact existing retail businesses in the Village of Fonda and within the Town of Mohawk that would, literally, be bypassed. The fact is that the economic impact analysis does not even address the negative impacts upon existing local businesses.
• We must prioritize projects and choose significant development plans wisely. Each county has a very finite ability, in the form of limited political capital, to spend in the pursuit of state and federal support for local projects. When we spend that capital, we must spend it wisely, as there is only a certain amount of access to federal and state monies. The amount of money needed to construct the Connector could be put to much better uses in Montgomery County.
• There is no way for either the county or our municipalities to pay for a very small cost share on a project that, at a minimum, will cost more than $60 million. The feasibility study does identify all sorts of possible sources of this funding, including some loans, but this type of project is no longer a priority with Federal and State highway administrators and simply is unlikely to be funded. The federal government and the state Department of Transportation have generally refrained from creating new lane miles - that is, new roads - and instead have focused upon investment in existing transportation infrastructure. It would be more beneficial to look into less costly ways of improving the existing route.

The Feasibility Study contains a number of disconcerting assumptions and omissions, most notably that an alternative route passes muster. In reviewing the study, it was evident that scant attention was given to evaluating a solution that does not create a new route, but simply makes improvements to the existing corridor. The feasibility study should take a much closer look at the improvements to level of service within the existing corridor, which is far less costly, such as the utilization of Intelligent Traffic Signalization (ITS).

The Feasibility and accompanying cost-benefit analysis do not consider the loss of prime farmland and intrusion into agricultural districts. The analysis appears to rely upon a complete build out of available acreage in computing the positive economic impact of the project, while is not just unrealistic and overly optimistic, it produces and erroneous cost-benefit ratio. Those costs are escalated to 2023, using a 2.5 percent annual inflator for construction costs, an inflation rate that seems absurdly low, given how the costs of public infrastructure rapidly escalate over time. While parallel access roads are needed to yield the projected benefits of the project, the costs of actually building these parallel access roads are not factored into the overall project cost.

In conclusion, we recognize that the existing traffic situation along Route 5 and Route 30 is not optimal - creating noxious influences upon downtown Fonda and creating some delay for trucks traveling to the Johnstown Industrial Park and other nearby destinations, but at the same time, it is not dysfunctional. Our key to success is prioritizing the potential resources we have and putting them to best use. As such, there is simply no way that these circumstances compel us to build this road.

County Executive Matthew L. Ossenfort
Legislator Ryan B. Weitz (District 4)