New Horseheads road provides direct access to industrial park

Jan 01, 2024

In 2004, it was just an idea to improve traffic flow around the Horseheads area.

Nineteen years and nearly $25 million later, a new connector road that provides a direct link from the HOST Terminal industrial park to Interstate 86 via state Route 13 is now open to traffic.

The project includes roundabouts at Route 13 on the east end and Old Ithaca Road to the west, along with a bridge over Newtown Creek, improvements to Old Ithaca Road, the railroad crossing, and to the Horseheads levee.

The new route was conceived as a way to avoid channeling heavy truck traffic through residential areas, improving both safety and efficiency.

Local and state officials gathered for a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new road Thursday morning.

"This project is going to be transformational," said state Sen. Tom O'Mara, who, along with Assemblymen Christopher Friend and Phil Palmesano, was instrumental in securing state funding for the road.

"It will serve as a long-awaited gateway to additional economic opportunities at the former ‘Holding Point,’ now primarily owned and operated by Southern Tier Logistics, for regional businesses and communities that will only enhance and strengthen the local and regional economies," O'Mara said.

The connector road project, designed by engineering firm Erdman Anthony and carried out by Ramsey Constructors and Dalrymple Gravel, finished under budget and ahead of schedule, officials said.

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That's not bad for a project that almost didn't happen, according to Brian Kelly, Region 6 director for the state Department of Transportation.

"I've been with this project since 2009. For the first eight years, we struggled to find money to fund the project," Kelly recalled. "In 2016, we had the paperwork to close out the project. Thanks to all the elected officials to make a project like this happen."

Ohio Logistics, which specializes in managing warehousing and distribution centers with multiple industrial tenants, became majority owner of the HOST Terminal in January 2022, operating locally as Southern Tier Logistics.

The planned Route 13 connector road was a key selling point for the move, Ohio Logistics President and CEO Chuck Bills said at the time.

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Providing safe and easy access from an interstate to a major industrial park will open many doors, said Joseph Roman, president of Southern Tier Economic Growth.

"This type of project is always needed when we are trying to do development," Roman said. "It's absolutely critical and essential to economic development."

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