Article #4 - 299th Combat Engineer Battalion Memorial Highway

In 2006 New York Governor George E. Pataki signed into law the dedication of a portion of Interstate 190, from River Road in Tonawanda to the Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown, as the “299th Combat Engineer Battalion Memorial Highway.”

The section of road is about 22 miles long. It will run from the south Grand Island Bridge on interstate route 190 across Grand Island to and across the North Grand Island Bridge. If you look this up on a New York State map you will find that Grand Island is in the Niagara River, above Niagara falls. The route 190 prceeeds north to the intersection of the Robert Moses Parkway. Drive north on the Robert Moses Pkwy to its terminus in Ft Niagara State Park in the village of Youngstown.

Some of the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion present at the ceremony.

The road signs for the 299th Road were placed October 27th 2006. A ceremonial signing of the bill by the Governor took place Monday the 30th of October at 10am where they also unveiled one of the signs. The memorialization ceremony took place at the Officer's Club in Ft. Niagara with refreshments served.

Senator George Maziarz, Assembtyman Robin Schimminger and Mike Accordino
holding the proclamation.

Some 40 people attended the ceremony. The 299ers present and family were:

Mike and Mary Accordino and son, Ted and Ruth Zalenski, Joe and Kay Intrabartola, Bob Denno, Jim Smith, Ed and Anna Miller, Lefty Lowenstein, Clarence Jackson, Paul Morawic, Peter Morawic, David Yezek (son of a deceased 299er) and three widows of deceased 299ers: Betty Littke, Rita Loeffler, Ruth Merkling

Mike Accordino recently took a ride on the stretch of road dedicated to the 299th and said: "We counted 4 or 5 signs posted. They look great and stand out. A feeling I can't describe comes over me when I see them."