It is the mission of the New York State Department of Transportation “to provide a safe, reliable, equitable and resilient transportation system that connects communities, enhances quality of life, protects the environment and supports the economic well-being of New York State.” That’s a mouthful. It’s also controversial.

When highways get overcrowded, widening them to relieve congestion results in more development along the route. And that causes more vehicles to use the expanded highway, which in turn causes the wider highways to become overcrowded. It’s a conundrum.

On the other hand, expanded or better public transportation in cities and denser population areas can reduce the number of vehicles on our state highways.

The battle over roadway expansion is playing out in an obscure but important planning document, with transit and environmental advocates pushing for fewer cars in the draft of the New York State Transportation Master Plan, which would be carried out in the next 25 years.

Meanwhile, a group representing contractors says the NYS DOT should focus its attention on maintaining existing roads before they fall into further disrepair.

An article by Jimmy Vielkind of the NY Public News Network points out that groups are weighing in with different perspectives. DOT officials say the document will set priorities for statewide transportation policy through 2050 to include planning for climate change, population shifts and new technology.

Debra Nelson, director of the transportation department’s Office of Policy, Planning and Performance, said the draft plan balances all the types of uses.

“There’s not really a preference,” she said. “It’s really about being able to move people to the places that they need to get to in the ways that serve [them] best. It’s not focused on moving vehicles as much as moving people.”

The draft plan also includes statistics on the current state of the transportation system. In each region north of the mid-Hudson Valley, less than 5% of people get to work using public transit, while more than 70% of people reported driving to work alone. By contrast, 46% of people in New York City use public transit to get to work, followed by 10% in the Hudson Valley and 9% on Long Island.

The draft plan also notes that less than 50% of the pavement on the interstate highways in New York is in good condition. To Mike Elmendorf, president of the Associated General Contractors of New York State, the data is a sign the department needs to keep its eyes on its core mission.

“From the perspective of most New Yorkers — and certainly our perspective — one of the most important things that the Department of Transportation does is maintain the roads and bridges,” Elmendorf said. “I would like to see more focus on that.”

So, the dilemma continues. For us in the rural area of the North Country, good highways and safe bridges are likely our preference. What do you say?