OWEGO, N.Y. — A two-year, $47 million project to improve a key stretch of Interstate 86 (I-86) in the town of Owego in Tioga County is now finished. The effort involved resurfacing a six-mile stretch of the highway and upgraded two bridges along the highway to improve resiliency following years of harsh weather impacts, Gov. […]
OWEGO, N.Y. — A two-year, $47 million project to improve a key stretch of Interstate 86 (I-86) in the town of Owego in Tioga County is now finished.
The effort involved resurfacing a six-mile stretch of the highway and upgraded two bridges along the highway to improve resiliency following years of harsh weather impacts, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in early December.
The highway is also known as the Southern Tier Expressway and was previously designated as State Route 17.
The project rehabilitated the stretch of highway between Exit 65 in the town of Owego and the Broome County line. The road surface was reconstructed and topped with a warm asphalt mix. Two bridges that carry I-86 over Apalachin Creek were fixed up with new bridge decks, concrete barriers, and bearings. New guide rails were also installed in both directions.
“Interstate 86 is a major gateway for tourism and commerce across the Southern Tier, and these projects along Interstate 86 will improve mobility for residents and visitors alike, and help fuel continued growth and prosperity throughout the region,” Marie Therese Dominguez, commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation, contended in the announcement.
The Southern Tier Expressway links the cities of Jamestown, Corning, and Elmira to the Greater Binghamton area. In the previous year, a 32-mile section of the highway in Broome and Tioga Counties was designated part of I-86, an important highway that stretches from Erie, Pennsylvania, to Broome County. The just-completed project helped bring this section of highway up to current interstate standards.
The work was part of the New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) efforts to modernize the Southern Tier Expressway, Hochul’s office noted.
Beginning in 2026, an adjacent section in Tioga County will also be improved. The planned three-year project will reconstruct 4.7 miles of Interstate 86 within the town and village of Owego and will include work on both Exits 64 and 65.
A third project currently in design will resurface a 6-mile section of I-86 between exits 61 and 62 in the town of Nichols in Tioga County and is scheduled to begin in 2027.
