Khurram Saeed

ksaeed@lohud.com

South Nyack officials want to Exit 10 redesigned for future business and retail development.

Ramapo officials support adding a new exit in Monsey to relieve congestion on Route 59.

A special task force says that both ideas are worth studying further.

South Nyack says it has a verbal commitment to receive %24250%2C000 from a special TZ project fund.

Parts of the Thruway in Rockland could get a radical new look around the time the new Tappan Zee Bridge opens. There are local movements to reconstruct Exit 10 in South Nyack and build a new exit connecting the highway to Ramapo. The Tappan Zee Bridge Mass Transit Task Force recently recommended both projects for further study in its final report. While that may not seem like a big deal, it actually marks a significant step forward.

Exit 10

For a couple of years now, South Nyack officials have been lobbying to revamp the 25-acre footprint that makes up Exit 10 after the bridge is completed. Owned by the state Thruway Authority, part of the property is being used as a construction staging area. The village would like to see an office building and some small shops occupy the site. The task force itself called the interchange "confusing and inefficient."

South Nyack has applied for a $250,000 grant through a $20 million community benefit program that is jointly funded by the Thruway Authority and bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors. The study would look at possible development options, including a future bus rapid transit stop. Village Mayor Bonnie Christian said village officials have a verbal commitment from the state and are seeking to hire a consultant this year.

Exit 14X

Further west, Ramapo officials have renewed hope that a new exit could be coming to Monsey. It's unofficially known as Exit 14X. The task force's report said a study would evaluate the impacts of the new interchange on the Thruway, Route 59 (it would be located near Monsey Heights Road) and local roads. Its findings could be used for an environmental study and justification report that the federal government requires for new interstate access.

There's currently no formal plan in place and it's not clear who would pay for the study.

Montebello Mayor Jeff Oppenheim, one of 14X's biggest supporters, said Ramapo's immense population growth justified the exit, even though it would be only a few miles away from one to the east (Exit 14 in Spring Valley) and one to the west (14B in Airmont).

"There's a five-mile stretch between those two exits and it's too much of a distance when so many people now live in the town of Ramapo," Oppenheim said. "Exit 14X ... would make a great deal of sense and wouldn't cost much money."

Twitter: @ksaeed1