Bridge on Interstate 86 Will Serve As Tribute To The Project's Champion

Dedication will serve as lasting reminder of Susan Foster Myers’ service to Allegany County

ALBANY – Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I-Olean) and Assemblyman Joseph Giglio (R,C,I- Gowanda) announced today that Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed their legislation to name the bridge that crosses Interstate 86 over State Route 275 in honor of the late Susan Foster Myers.

Mrs. Myers, a former Friendship Town Councilwoman and Allegany County Legislator, will be posthumously honored for her efforts to improve life in Allegany County and her personal crusade to have Route 17 designated as an interstate highway.

“Susan Foster Myers was a true champion for Allegany County and our whole region. A faithful public servant, Sue was passionate about bettering the lives of those around her. The designation of Route 17 as Interstate 86 was among her highest priorities because she felt it would bring an economic boost for Friendship, Allegany County and the Southern Tier as a whole,” said Senator Young.

“Interstate 86 is an important part of our economic infrastructure, and this wouldn’t have been possible without Sue’s unwavering efforts. The designation of this bridge is a gesture of appreciation for her hard work and diligence in bringing the project to fruition,” she said.

“Sue Myers was the face of the Town of Friendship and much of Allegany County for many years,” said Assemblyman Giglio. “She, along with her husband Al, spent nearly all of their time focusing on issues that impacted their home community, whether it was the Freedom Fair festival, the local library or a government-related task. Sue’s devotion and compassion is truly missed, and I’m happy that we’ll now have the Susan Foster Myers Memorial Bridge to honor her legacy.”

Sue’s husband, Al, said, “Sue was very interested in economic development. Through her research, she discovered that businesses tend to be located along interstates, even over other four-lane roadways, and many contracts for tour buses stipulate that they must travel on interstates instead of other kinds of highways. This got it into her head that we should make Route 17 an interstate. I think this bridge will serve as a very appropriate tribute to Sue’s work.”

Curtis Crandall, Chairman of the Allegany County Board of Legislators, said, “Sue was a great representative for the people of Friendship and Allegany County, her name is continuously mentioned and she's very much missed. Having this bridge dedicated in her honor will be a constant reminder of the work she did on our behalf.”

James Bradley Blouvet, Supervisor for the Town of Friendship, said, “Knowing Susan was an honor. She will be greatly missed in The Town of Friendship.”

Sue and Al were married on August 28, 1965, after first meeting while exploring a cave in Albany, New York. She was a loving mother to two sons, Charles Edwin Myers, Ph.D. and Trent Alan Myers, and grandmother of four, Rachel, Joshua, Jessica and Hannah Myers.

First elected to the Board of the Town of Friendship in 1990, Mrs. Myers won another full term in 1991. She was elected to the Allegany County Legislature in fall 1994 and won re-election in 1997 and 2001.

She began her campaign to have State Route 17 designated as an interstate by collecting a petition of about 1,000 signatures and personally delivering them to then Congressman Amo Houghton. Ms. Myers then became co-chair of a three-county task force to get the road designated as an interstate, and served in that position for about 15 years.

After the newly designated Interstate began to disintegrate, Mrs. Myers launched a campaign to have the roadway rebuilt in Allegany County. After learning that the road was not on New York State's upgrade plan until up to 12 years in the future, she began to stop along I-86 and pick up broken chunks of the road, and wrote I-86 and the date on them. She would take these to the offices of state and federal legislators, and Department of Transportation officials, and give the broken pieces of roadway to them as paperweights for their desks. The strategy was successful, and repairs to the road were completed in 2006, almost six years earlier than originally scheduled.

Mrs. Myers was appointed to the board of the Friendship Free Library in 1991, and remained an active board member until her passing in 2014. While a member of the board, she served in nearly all its offices, including as President of the Board for about 10 years.

Along with her work as a public officer, she also served on the board of Southern Tier West (Chairing its Transportation Committee), the Genesee Valley Greenway Board, and Seneca Trail Resource Conservation and Development board (serving as the New York State R C & D organization Vice President). She was chair of the 2000 U.S. Census effort in Allegany County and Chair of the Board of the Friendship-Cuba Economic Development Zone (EDZ) in 2000, continuing until the state discontinued the EDZ Boards in 2009. Prior to her passing, she was also a member of the Allegany County Youth Board.

Susan Foster Myers passed away on March 14, 2014, while traveling overseas with her husband.