By Thomas Montana
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the draft 2050 New York State Transportation Master Plan, which she said will shape the development of New York’s transportation infrastructure for the coming decades, is now available for the public to review. Members of the public are encouraged to review the draft plan and attend one of two virtual public forums planned for July 8 from 1-2 p.m. and 6:30-7:30 p.m.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), in partnership with transportation agencies across the state, drafted this forward-looking plan and is now seeking input from the public to help inform the completion of the final document planned for later this summer.
The draft has eight chapters, each discussing key trends and conflicts with transportation throughout the state while addressing future plans and ideas for safer, cleaner and more efficient travel.
Since 2023, the draft developed through reviews of all metropolitan long-range transportation plans from New York’s 14 Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Analyses of socio-economic profiles of all regions in New York as well as emerging issues were looked at when drafting.
The draft highlights six goals for the Transportation Master Plan to address:
- Safe transportation for all
- Community-responsive and resilient transportation system
- Reliable and efficient transportation network
- Accessible and affordable transportation choices
- Environmental stewardship and protection
- Strength economic competitiveness
The draft hopes that in the future, there will be zero fatalities or injuries through the transportation system by identifying crash locations with high injury numbers and changing roads and pathway designs to reduce risk.
“In order to truly fulfill our mission of providing a safe, reliable, accessible and resilient transportation system that serves all New Yorkers, we must look to the future transportation needs of coming generations and be prepared to meet them,” said New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez. “This draft master plan is a step in that process, and in order to succeed, we need everyone’s input.”
Information on how to register for the virtual public forums can be found on the New York State Transportation Master Plan 2025 website.