A new tower is up, although not yet operational, but Dukes County sheriff Robert Ogden said this week that major strides have been made in the quest to improve emergency communications on Martha’s Vineyard.

The Duke County sheriff has secured $1.7 million in state funding for the next phase of upgrading radio communications for Martha’s Vineyard emergency departments.

An outmoded and poorly integrated radio system Islandwide has become a critical point of failure for emergency responders, but the path to an upgrade has been strewn with challenges.