Assemblyman Joe Giglio (R,C,I-Gowanda) today sent a letter to the commissioner of the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to address the lack of prominence given to Route 219 in the "Transportation Strategies for a New Age: New York’s Transportation Plan for 2030" proposal. Also, Giglio is urging local municipalities and individuals to read the plan and comment during the public hearing process, which is open now through February 24.

Giglio noted the lack of a north-south trade corridor in the western third of New York state. He called it "imperative" that Route 219 be among the projects outlined in DOT’s "Transportation Strategies for a New Age: New York’s Transportation Plan for 2030." Giglio maintained the economic revitalization of the Southern Tier and Western New York will be achieved with construction of Route 219.

"Residents throughout the Southern Tier and Western New York deserve an enhanced and well-funded Route 219 transportation project," said Giglio. "For our part of the state to rejoin the economic ranks of areas like the Capital Region and the Hudson Valley, this area must be part of DOT’s long-range plan for success. A Route 219 corridor would be an integral part of our area’s economic renewal, and I am fighting for this worthy cause."

The plan can be accessed on the NYS DOT’s website at http://www.dot.state.ny.us/.

Assemblyman Giglio is awaiting a response to his letter to DOT Commissioner Thomas J. Madison.