Drivers in Orange County are seeing smoother roads on Route 17 with more improvements still to come.

Repaving has now been completed on a 5-mile stretch of Route 17 between Exit 119 and Exit 116, spanning from Middletown toward the Sullivan County line. Crews are continuing work on exit ramps along the corridor, with traffic detours in place during overnight construction hours.

Next year, attention will turn to Route 17M. A long-awaited repaving project will cover sections through Monroe, Harriman, Goshen and Chester. That work will pick up where previous resurfacing ended at the Monroe village line, addressing one of the most heavily traveled and complained-about roadways in the area.

According to Sen. James Skoufis’ office, which helped secure funding, both projects respond to years of concerns from residents about deteriorating road conditions.