It is easy to travel right on through Sullivan County on Route 17 without any stops – maybe that is why it was once known as the Quickway. In just over 30 minutes, you can speed from one side to the other and if you aren’t paying attention, you can miss so much of what Sullivan has to offer. For many, it is a way to get from work to home and back again.

This is no exception for Exit 114, the offramp for Wurtsboro and its neighboring areas. It leads right to Sullivan Street, home to many iconic businesses, shops and restaurants. However, there is now one problem – this exit could soon be eliminated for construction for a time.

While we do not believe this closure would be the end all, be all for the village of Wurtsboro and its surrounding businesses, if there is a way that the exit can remain open throughout the roadwork, that would be ideal. 

Making it harder to get to any place does no help to anyone. 

Although this scenario is not as drastic of an example, the once bustling hamlet of Parksville now sits just out of the way of convenience – and it shows. This is a fate that no hamlet should suffer, and any steps taken toward that, no matter how small, would be in the best interest to be avoided, if at all possible. 

It is also prominent to note that removing this direct route to the village’s center of commerce could impair response time of emergency personnel. We already have a strained first-responder system within the county, and any road blocks could be the difference between life and death, because as anyone who has worked in the industry of saving lives knows, sometimes all it takes is a few minutes difference. 

And just like those few precious minutes that could change the outcome of a life in danger, ease of access could mean the difference between success and failure for a village’s livelihood. We hope that when the necessary construction does happen, the exit is not shut off completely. 

For Wurtsboro, Exit 114 is the village’s main gateway to the world, and vice-versa.