Pictured above from left to right: Borrello speaks to Warren County Fiscal Director Eric Hern, and Warren County Commissioners Morrison, Kafferlin, and Eggleston.
WARREN – Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello recently met with the Warren County Board of Commissioners to discuss a resolution in support of the North/South Corridor project. This project would develop and expand U.S. Route 62 in Pennsylvania and NY Route 60 in order to provide greater transportation connectivity between the two regions.
“Although the State of New York and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are very different, our counties share many of the same interests and concerns,” said Borrello. “We want to protect our natural resources, grow our economies, and increase our tourism. This North/South Corridor and the expansion of Route 62, which connects to Route 60 in New York State, is a critical component of achieving these goals.”
Borrello and his executive team previously met with Warren County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston and Warren County Planning Director Dan Glotz to discuss the possibility of working together to generate plans for greater investment in Routes 60 and 62. The concept was based on a rough plan discussed over a decade ago when planners from Chautauqua and Warren Counties met to lobby for developments on the same roadways.
The last major renovations to the North/South Corridor were in the 1960s. Borrello and Warren County officials would like to have a plan completed to further evaluate and improve this infrastructure and are calling for local, state and federal investment to help develop a long-term plan to address these needs.
“Warren County is a leader in freight exports in the region of Pennsylvania,” said Borrello. “Chautauqua County has a lot of industry that relies on safe and accessible transportation routes to move products at an affordable rate. We want to get people more efficiently from point A to point B to not only increase commerce and connectivity between our regions, but to make it easier for individuals to visit attractions in our counties such as the Chautauqua Institution, National Comedy Center, Kinzua Dam, and Allegheny National Forest. I thank Commissioner Eggleston for facilitating this meeting and recently visiting Jamestown to talk about this program.”
After Borrello’s speech, the Warren County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution in support of the North/South Corridor concept and the joint governmental efforts to secure funding for a planning study to develop the corridor.
Borrello will be approaching the Chautauqua County Legislature in May to gain support for this initiative.
“I thank George Borrello for coming here and sharing this message in an effort to create greater collaboration between our two communities,” said Eggleston. “I think this project is a first step to greater communication and collaboration between Chautauqua and Warren Counties.”
Leave a Reply