WARREN - The proposal to link Warren County with Interstate 86, the closest interstate highway to Warren, appears to be at a dead end for now.
Almost six years ago, officials from both Pennsylvania and New York met in Chautauqua County to discuss the possibility of linking Route 62 to I-86 near Falconer. At the time, the project had an estimated price tag of $50 million - $21.6 million for improvements and widening in Pennsylvania and $28.4 million for new construction in New York.
''The whole transportation road system has gone backwards rather than forward,'' particularly in New York state, Jim Decker, Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry chief executive officer, said. ''We're not expecting any forward movement.''
While the interstate link is ''not a dead idea,'' Decker said, ''it's a matter of getting the financing.''
''We haven't heard a word'' from New York, Decker said. ''There is some level of interest on the regional level, but the level of interest on the state level in New York is nonexistent.''
Dan Glotz, Warren County planning director, said he has heard that a regional planning group in New York, Southern Tier West, may be interested in ''renewing a dialogue'' about the Route 62-Southern Tier Expressway link.
''We were told we would be contacted,'' Glotz said, ''but I haven't heard anything yet.''
Glotz said transportation dollars are ''tight and even tighter in New York.''
While there has been no progress on the proposal in New York, Glotz said in Warren County, PennDOT has been moving forward with projects recommended in a study conducted by the transportation consulting firm of Scully and Loy.
''We're moving ahead with improvements to Route 62 intersections in Pine Grove Township,'' Glotz said. ''The Scully and Loy study is being used to identify projects, but the engineering and design has to happen.''
Some funding for the engineering and design of Route 62 improvements in Warren County has been earmarked, Glotz said.
As envisioned, the Route 62 link would provide a ''straight shot'' from Warren County to Interstate 86, which is now a 23.9-mile trip from downtown Warren.
The primary beneficiary in Chautauqua County would be Falconer, which is often clogged with truck traffic headed from Warren County to the Southern Tier Expressway interchange, just east of Falconer. Warren County has also been attempting to secure funding for safety improvements on Route 69, Route 27 and the Scandia-Onoville Road, all of which have seen significant increases in traffic counts as shortcuts to Interstate 86.