The NTE Corridor Study will address several specific issues in order to improve safety and travel time within the corridor:

• Areas with tight curves making it difficult for trucks to turn;
• Areas with a steep grade (>5%);
• Locations where pavement condition is cracked and showing signs of distress;
• Bridges in need of rehabilitation or replacement;
• High accident locations;
• Congestion areas around urban centers ( Plattsburgh, Malone, Potsdam, Canton and Watertown);
• Travel time delays due to traffic congestion; and
• Traffic growth in the coming decades.

The study will also consider other projects in the study area that affect traffic growth

• Can-Am Connections Study
  The Can-Am Connections Corridor would link the New England States with Canadian markets ( Montreal & Toronto) and the Midwestern US. According to a recent study, economic activities within this corridor could generate approximately 370,000 trucks and 718,000 cars per year traveling both internationally and domestically through the border crossings in the North Country.1
• Fort Drum Expansion & Transportation Needs
  Fort Drum has undergone expansion projects to accommodate the growing population of soldiers and their families, expected to reach 34,000 by early 2007. This population increase will likely have a significant impact on traffic growth in the Route 11 corridor. Partly in response to this growth, NYSDOT is conducting a study of the transportation link between I-81 and Route 11 near the main gate of the Fort Drum Army Base, north of the City of Watertown. This study will develop a plan for improving Fort Drum’s connectivity to I-81 and improve current and future transportation safety and operating conditions, potentially through construction of a new roadway link. Because they are closely linked efforts, the information generated through the Fort Drum Connector Study is being integrated into and coordinated with the overall NTE Corridor Study.
• Educational and Energy Business Growth Centers
  With better access throughout the region businesses will grow, universities may attract more students, and more people may make the North Country their home.

1 “The East-West Highway: The Real Impact”; Stafford Business Advisors, Portland, Maine; October 15, 2000.