Cuomo touts new Northway Exit 3, airport upgrades in Colonie

PHOTOGRAPHER: New York State Governor\'s Office

Gov. Andrew Cuomo drives the new exit

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COLONIE — A sprawling airport connector project is almost finished.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo got a firsthand look on Wednesday after getting behind the wheel of a 1932 Packard with local officials and cruising up and down the recently-completed northbound Exit 3 flyover ramp.

The antique vehicle was once used by Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

“That’s not just a 1932 Packard,” Cuomo wrote on Twitter. “It’s FDR’s 1932 V12 Packard.”

The ramp opened to motorists on Wednesday, as well as newly configured Exits 4 and 5 ramps that provide more direct access to local roads and the Adirondack Northway.

The long-planned improvements are designed to reduce congestion and improve access to Albany International Airport.

The governor also released renderings for a new gateway welcome sign designed by the Albany County Airport Authority.

The southbound exit opened earlier this year.

Cuomo unveiled the plans at the Desmond Hotel, where he later dropped in on a state Department of Transportation banquet for agency workers, who completed the project under budget and a year ahead of schedule.

Work on the broader $50 million airport upgrades, including a new five-story parking garage, updated food concessions and bathrooms, should be completed by spring.

The governor said the airport and road upgrades will serve as a catalyst for broader investment in the region.

“We have people flying in here now from all over the world,” Cuomo said. “I’m meeting with people who fly in from Dubai. When they land at our airport and they see the Capital District region they have to say, ‘Wow. Wow, these people have their act together, this is a region I want to invest in. This is a region with a future.’ And they’re going to be right and that’s what we’re building toward.”