the arterial highway program. By 1951, the city of Norwich had proposed making Broad Street (NY 12) a state highway as part of the program. As an arterial highway, Broad Street would be widened by as much as , resulting in a wide road. The plan was opposed by the city's traffic commission in January 1951, which believed that the widening would negatively impact the city's appearance by requiring the removal of any landscaping between the road and its sidewalks, including roadside trees. The commission countered with a proposal calling for the construction of a new highway along the east bank of the Chenango River that bypassed downtown. Since the bypass would not enter the city limits, the proposed road was not eligible for the arterial highway program. By 1953, the city developed a new plan that gave Broad Street to the state while also establishing East Main Street and the section of East River Road between Main Street and NY 23 as arterial highways. The latter two routes would comprise an eastern bypass of northern Norwich while falling within the criteria for the arterial highway program. The revised proposal was approved by city voters by a 641–250 vote in 1953, allowing for bills to add the roads as state highways to enter the New York State Legislature in January 1954. Both were approved and signed into law by Governor Thomas E. Dewey within two months. Originally, the state had planned on transferring maintenance of a state highway to Chenango County to offset the mileage acquired by taking over part of East River Road, which had previously been county-maintained. One segment considered for the transfer was the piece of NY 23 between the eastern city line of Norwich and East River Road; however, this part of the route was ultimately retained as a state road. Reconstruction Design plans for all of Norwich's arterial highways, including East Main Street, called for the roads to be widened to , an increase of up to in some locations. Additionally, in the vicinity of the Chenango River, East Main Street would be realigned slightly to take a northeasterly track across a new bridge over the river. As a result, the reconfigured East Main Street would meet East River Road at a point slightly north of the existing intersection between the two highways. The total cost of reconstructing East River Road, Broad Street, and Main