WHITE LAKE, N.Y. (WKTV) - The New York Department of Transportation says they need to improve road conditions on Route 28, but the people in Forestport say they don't want a new and improved highway running through town if it means clear cutting trees and moving utility poles.

This week, the drive on Route 28 through White Lake is filled with caution. Yellow caution tape is tied to hundreds of trees - a word of warning to passing drivers to keep clear-cutting out of town.

Steve Spring is just one of dozens of White Lake residents who are upset with the New York Department of Transportation and National Grid.

"It makes me upset," Spring said. "I feel like we weren't given a choice in this...our voices are not being heard."

The DOT says they need to widen parts of Route 28, fill potholes, and reconstruct sections of the road. Eleven foot lanes and six foot shoulders will be safer for drivers, especially in the Winter season.

"We're trying to balance the needs of the corridor," said Stephen Zywiak of the DOT. "We're trying to be sensitive to the impacts the road construction will have on adjacent properties."

Widening the road would mean National Grid moving utility poles and taking down trees on private property. In Steve Spring's case, the road could run through his yard and ruin his property value.

Residents said that they agree with the DOT that the road needs to be fixed, but fixing it shouldn't involve cutting down thousands of trees.

"We're looking to keep the ambiance of White Lake," Spring said. "It is the gateway to the Adirondacks."

People in White Lake say that ideally, they'd like to see as little work done on Route 28 as possible. They don't want the DOT and National Grid to throw caution to the wind and pave over the place they call home.