New York politicians, including Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and businesspeople backed the move in the hope that an efficient, high-speed roadway would inspire companies to start or expand their businesses in the state's southern counties. Shortly after the passage of TEA-21, Corridor 36 was legislatively designated as I-86 in an amendment to the bill. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) formally approved the designation on November 6, 1998, as "Future I-86". On December 3, 1999, all of PA 17 and the westernmost of NY 17 were officially designated as I-86 by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) following improvements to bring the roadway up to Interstate Highway standards. The designation was extended eastward to NY 14 in Horseheads on January 28, 2004, after that section had been upgraded. On May 1, 2006, the portion of NY 17 from I-81 in Binghamton east to NY 79 in Windsor was designated as part of I-86 following the elimination of at-grade intersections and the reconstruction of exit ramps along the stretch. The completion of the $30-million (equivalent to $ in ) project increased the total mileage of I-86 to and created a temporary gap in the designation. In Horseheads, a $60-million (equivalent to $ in ) project to elevate the highway and remove at-grade intersections in the village between NY 14 (exit 52) and NY 13 (exit 54) began in April 2004 and was completed on August 20, 2007. NYSDOT subsequently sought permission from the FHWA to extend I-86 over the new bypass and the existing NY 17 freeway to NY 352 in Elmira; it was granted on March 28, 2008, adding another to the route. A portion of NY 17 between exits 56 and 59 originally had several at-grade intersections. Work on a project to eliminate the junctions began in January 2010. Three discontinuous sections of County Route 60 (CR 60, named Brant Road, Oneida Road, and Old NY 17), a parallel surface road, were linked together as part of the project. Two of the three at-grade junctions with CR 60—the east junction with Brant Road and the west junction with Oneida Road—were permanently closed on March 24, 2010, to allow construction to begin on the new alignment of the county route between the two locations. The $65-million (equivalent to $ in ) project was completed on November 1, 2012. Future In 1998, then-Governor George Pataki signed legislation to