A new group has formed to promote improvements along U.S. 11 between Watertown and Plattsburgh, rather than development of a “Rooftop Highway.”

According to John Danis, a spokesperson for the new group YEseleven, “promoting improvements along the US Route 11 corridor is the main focus of the group, because Route 11 is the lifeblood of our regional economy. We want to see the communities that are linked together by this important highway grow and prosper.”

YESeleven describes itself as a group of concerned citizens of the North Country who have come together to promote strategies that offer the best path forward for comprehensive regional development within the U.S. Route 11 corridor between I-81 at Watertown and I-87 north of Plattsburgh.

John Casserly, a YESeleven co-coordinator along with John Danis, says that “we’re also concerned with the so-called ‘Rooftop Highway,’ which is receiving a lot of local media attention and political support. Improvement of the Rt. 11 corridor has taken a back seat to promotion of the concept of this mega-super highway across the North Country, seemingly without much information as to where it will go and what its impact will be on the land, people’s homes and farms and on existing local villages. When you look at a map and consider where it would likely go, it becomes obvious that the impact will be devastating. And for what?”

YESeleven says that all the hoopla over the Rooftop Highway plan is drawing attention and dollars away from the Route 11 corridor. According to Danis, “our citizens need jobs now, and our communities need vital infrastructure improvements to be safe and efficient, and to create a climate for sensible, sustainable economic growth.”

The group supports the findings and recommendations of a 2008 study undertaken by the New York State Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. Known as the “Northern Tier Transportation Corridor Study,” it proposes targeted highway upgrades and modifications to be progressively done across the 170 miles from Watertown to Plattsburgh. Passing lanes throughout the corridor and bypasses around Gouverneur, Canton, Potsdam, Malone and Rouses Point are part of the plan.

“Such projects are badly needed and they are very real,” says Danis. “Engineering design work should be underway now to bring these projects to implementation as soon as possible. But with all the political fanfare over the Rooftop Highway, critically needed improvements to Route 11 are being neglected.”

“The reality is that the Rooftop Highway is not a viable idea,” says Danis, “yet it’s hurting our chances of getting the highway improvements we really need.”

“The Rooftop Highway’s boosters have made wild and unsubstantiated claims of economic development and jobs coming from its construction. Meanwhile, negative impacts on existing communities, businesses, farms and the natural environment have not begun to be addressed. We don’t even know the route it would take.”

“The economic cost would be staggering and is politically unrealistic, yet ‘Rooftop Highway’ zealots have worked up a frenzy of support for the idea,” Danis said.

According to Danis, YESeleven “aims to dispel the myth of the Rooftop Highway being a viable idea and the salvation of our North Country economy, while promoting the Route 11 corridor as the lifeblood of the regional economy.”

YESeleven has launched a website at yeseleven.org that provides information and opinion about highway transportation needs and priorities in the region, and gives citizens of the area the opportunity to voice their opinion on the group’s aims.