Land Near New York's Stewart Airport Protected

The transfer of 1,600 acres of open countryside near Stewart International Airport in Newburgh to the state Department of Environmental Conservation has concluded a 19-year effort to save the land from development.

The land will expand the Stewart State Forest to almost 7,000 acres, said Sandra Kissam, who as president of the Stewart Park and Reserve Coalition led the effort.

"From our perspective, it's a real victory," said John Stouffer, legislative director for the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club.

The state Department of Transportation previously owned the land, and while it allowed people to use it for recreational purposes, "we were always waiting for the next development proposal," Stouffer said.

The land now is the responsibility of the state DEC.

When Stewart International Airport sought to widen a two-lane road and improve airport access, an agreement to protect the open land cleared the way for the highway project.

Now work is under way to widen Drury Lane and to build a direct connection with a new interchange with nearby Interstate 84. That project is expected to cost nearly $50 million.

Meanwhile, a separate project to connect I-84 to the state Thruway -- a three-phase project that will cost $100 million -- also is under way.

The Drury Lane connector to I-84 is expected to be completed in late 2007 or early 2008, said DOT spokeswoman Jennifer Post. The connection between the Thruway and I-84 will be completed by the fall of 2009, said state Thruway Authority spokeswoman Betsy Graham.

Construction of the new ramps and bridges will begin after completion of a new maintenance facility, salt sheds, a State Police building and related site work.

The Stewart Park and Reserve Coalition, meanwhile, is continuing to seek money to pay the rest of its legal bills. Kissam said it still owes about $35,000 of the $200,000 that was spent over five years of legal wrangling.

The road improvements will help Stewart International Airport officials attract additional service. Currently, Allegiant Air, US Airways Express, Northwest Airlink and American Eagle serve Stewart.

"Access is the No. 1 factor that determines an airport's success," said Tanya Vanasse, general manager of marketing at Stewart.

At one time, Stewart had hoped to attract low-fare carrier Southwest Airlines.

"Right now, Southwest has focused more on larger airports than they ever have before," Vanasse said Tuesday afternoon. "I'm not as sure we're a target for them as we would like to be."

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