Another Voice / Transportation
Expansion of Route 219 is not warranted
Arecent Another Voice column advocated an expansion of U. S. Route 219 as part of a future Continental 1 corridor from Toronto to Miami. The concept of a major freeway running directly south from Buffalo may seem enticing, but this highway is unwarranted for several reasons.
First, Route 219 follows rugged terrain that would impose enormous construction costs and environmental impacts. Additionally, the corridor is too lightly traveled and sparsely populated to warrant a superhighway.
A map shown on the Continental 1 Web site indicates that the Route 219 freeway would extend through Western New York and Pennsylvania to a terminus at the existing Interstate 68 in western Maryland. The Continental 1 route would then take a sharp turn westward along I-68 for about 54 miles to I-79 near Morgantown, W. Va. This would negate any mileage benefit for trips to the southern United States.
Thus, a completed Route 219 freeway would involve about 25 more miles from Buffalo to central West Virginia and points further south than I-90 and I-79 through Erie, Pa. and Pittsburgh.
The Continental 1 Web site also depicts a possible route through northeastern West Virginia. This route would involve even more mileage than I-68.
Consequently, a completed Route 219 freeway is unlikely to carry a substantial amount of traffic to the southern United States. The construction of 150 miles of superhighway through a sparsely populated corridor is not a cost-effective expenditure when a shorter interstate route already exists.
The only significant benefit of upgrading Route 219 would be to reduce travel time from Buffalo and Toronto to Washington, D. C. and eastern Virginia. However, a better alternative would be to construct a southeasterly connector from the Batavia area to the I-390/U. S. 15 corridor, which is already being upgraded south of Rochester. This alternative would also shorten trips to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New Jersey.
A more practical option for Route 219 is to widen pivotal sections of the existing roadway to four lanes. Safety enhancements and local realignments may be provided where needed.
In essence, a reasonable Continental 1 corridor already exists in the form of several existing interstates. These include I-90 from Buffalo to Erie and I-79 from Erie to West Virginia. I-90 runs in a southwesterly direction from Buffalo to Erie even though it is signed as an east/west route.
The following change in route signing would improve the perception of an existing corridor through Buffalo. First, extend the I-79 designation from Erie to Buffalo as an overlap with I-90. Then redesignate I-190 (the Niagara Thruway) as a northerly continuation of I-79 to the Canadian border. This would provide a continuous north/south route designation of I-79 between the Canadian border and West Virginia.
Robert A. Krohn of Amherst is a transportation engineer with a master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
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