Skoufis Announces $9 Million Project to Ease Route 105 Congestion in Monroe

State Senator James Skoufis announced a roughly $9 million construction package on March 7, 2026 outside the State Police barracks on Nininger Road to ease chronic congestion along County Route 105 in the Town and Village of Monroe. The announcement came amid traffic noise, with officials saying the work targets jams that have snarled the corridor for years.

Officials outlined the funding mix for the project as $5 million from New York State, $2.4 million from the New York State Senate and Assembly, $1.5 million in federal funds routed through Orange County, and the remainder from the Town of Palm Tree. The announcement did not specify the dollar amount Palm Tree will provide.

Skoufis highlighted the commuter impact and emergency-access concerns, saying commuter traffic, "lockdowns can take as long as 20 minutes to travel through at Nininger Road, and Bakertown Road leading into the Town of Palm Tree." He added, "Besides the inconvenience, the congestion creates a safety issue with first responders often unable to get to incidents." Orange County Legislature Chairwoman Laurie Tautel said, "the project will improve the quality of life for those traveling in the area."

Engineers will reconfigure both the Nininger and Bakerstown intersections as part of the scope announced. Officials said Nininger Road will be extended to DAJ Boulevard in Palm Tree, converting the existing three-way intersection into a four-way intersection, and that the Bakerstown turning lanes into Palm Tree will be reconstructed. Assemblyman Chris Eachus said, "the project will improve traffic on other nearby roadways including Larkin Driven and Rt. 32."

Skoufis gave a tentative schedule, saying the work "will start as soon as weather permits and will be completed by the end of the year," a timeline that follows the March 7 announcement. Attendees at the news conference outside the State Police barracks included Chairwoman Laurie Tautel, Assemblyman Chris Eachus, and elected officials from the town and village of Monroe, the Village of Harriman and the Village of Kiryas Joel. Event images are credited "Picture of Brendan Coyne."

Several technical and funding details remain to be clarified by municipal and county officials, including the precise dollar amount Palm Tree will contribute, final engineering plans for lane counts and signals, and confirmation of several road-name spellings appearing in the announcement materials. For now, Monroe officials say the combined state, federal and local package will reshape traffic flow on Route 105 and address the delayed emergency access that residents and first responders have reported.