Section 50. Statewide transportation planning

Project  coordination with
  statewide transportation plan.  Upon  review  of  a  proposed  municipal
  project  submitted  to the commissioner under section forty-nine herein,
  the commissioner may transmit, within a reasonably prompt time, advisory
  comments to the Utica transit authority with regard  to  such  project's
  being a part of or consistent with a statewide comprehensive master plan
  for  transportation promulgated by him and approved by the governor upon
  the recommendation of the department of state or, in the absence of  any
  such   statewide   plan,   any   other  recognized  long-range  regional
  transportation plan approved by the commissioner or, in the  absence  of
  any  such  regional  plan,  sound  transportation development policy and
  planning concept. If the commissioner finds such  a  project  to  be  in
  conflict  with  such  statewide  plan,  regional  plan or transportation
  development policy and planning concept,  the  Utica  transit  authority
  shall   before  undertaking  such  project,  upon  the  request  of  the
  commissioner, state in writing  to  the  commissioner  its  reasons  for
  undertaking  the  project  notwithstanding  such  conflict. In no event,
  however, shall the Utica transit authority submit to the  United  States
  or  to  the State of New York, or any agency or instrumentality of them,
  an application for a federal or state  project  unless  the  application
  shall  have  been first approved by the commissioner as being part of or
  consistent with such statewide plan,  regional  plan  or  transportation
  development policy and planning concept.