Pedestrian Span at 222nd Street Over Northbound Lanes Will Be Removed and Replaced

Lane Closures and Traffic Stops Will Occur After 10 PM on Friday and Saturday

Motorists May Wish to Seek Alternate Routes to Avoid Delays

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced that work to remove and replace the superstructure of the 222nd Street pedestrian bridge over the northbound lanes of the New England Thruway (I-95) in the Bronx will require overnight lane closures and traffic stops in the northbound direction on Friday, March 15, and Saturday, March 16, weather permitting. Motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly or seek alternate routes during these times to avoid potential travel delays. A free minibus shuttle service will be provided while the pedestrian bridge is closed.

The new 222nd Street span will replace the 66-year-old superstructure–the steel beams, concrete deck, and fencing–above northbound I-95 and adjacent to Baychester Avenue, just north of exit 12 (Baychester Avenue) near Co-op City. The height of the new span will be raised from a minimum of 14.2 feet to 15.2 feet. Measuring 64 feet in length, the 222nd Street pedestrian bridge connects to the off-ramp from I-95 (exit 12) to Thomas E. Brown Avenue to the west.

The bridge replacement is part of the Thruway Authority’s $61.8 million pavement improvement project on a four-mile stretch of I-95 in the Bronx and Westchester County that began in spring 2023. Most of the work is taking place in the Bronx and includes the rehabilitation of 11 ramps/bridges and the replacement of the 222nd Street and Dyre Avenue pedestrian bridges’ superstructures.
The 222nd Street span will close to pedestrian traffic at 10 p.m. on Friday, March 15, with an expected reopening at 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 17.

At 10 p.m. Friday, crews will close the left northbound lane just before the 222nd Street bridge. At 11:30 p.m., both the left and center lanes approaching the work zone will be closed to allow crews to set up equipment, including a crane and flatbed trailer. The double lane closures are expected to last until 7 a.m. on Saturday, with all northbound lanes reopening by 11 a.m.

During the overnight operation, crews will dismantle the bridge’s bolts, rig the bridge’s superstructure to the crane, then lift and place it on a flatbed trailer on I-95. Police will stop and hold traffic during the lift for the safety of motorists and workers; the exit 11 on-ramp will be closed during this time. The traffic stop is expected to last less than 20 minutes.

Crews will install the new span late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Both the left and center northbound lanes will close around midnight and reopen by 9 a.m. A 20-minute traffic stop and exit 11 on-ramp closure will be implemented overnight to allow for a crane to safely lift the span into place. The remainder of the work will take place on the bridge itself and should not impact traffic on I-95. All travel lanes are expected to reopen by 11 a.m. Sunday, with the pedestrian crossing expected to open at 10 p.m.

Variable Message Signs on the Thruway and surrounding highways are advising motorists of the upcoming work.

While the pedestrian bridge is closed, the public can take a free minibus shuttle service.

• On the east side of the bridge, the shuttle will pick up and drop off passengers at 850 Baychester Ave.
• On the west side, the shuttle will stop at 3200 Thomas E. Brown Ave.

The shuttle will operate every 15 minutes, traveling between the two stops. Signs advising residents of the upcoming closure and free service have been installed along both sides of the 222nd Street bridge.

Weather permitting, crews will remove and replace the Dyre Avenue pedestrian bridge over I-95 in both directions the following week, Friday, March 22, and Saturday, March 23. More details will be provided next week.

Restani Construction Corp., of Queens, N.Y., is the project contractor.

The Authority’s approved 2024 Budget invests a total of $451 million to support its Capital Program, which is scheduled to invest $2.4 billion into capital projects over the next five years—a $500 million increase compared to the 2023 Budget. The increased investment will lead to work on approximately half of the Thruway’s more than 2,800 lane miles as well as projects on approximately 90 of Thruway’s 817 bridges.

Motorists are urged to be alert, follow the posted work zone speed limits, and are reminded that fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. In accordance with the Work Zone Safety Act of 2005, convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver license.

For up-to-date travel information, motorists are encouraged to download its mobile app which is available to download for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides motorists direct access to real-time traffic and navigation assistance while on the go.

Travelers can also visit the Thruway Authority's interactive Traveler Map which features live traffic cameras. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert e-mails, which provide the latest traffic conditions along the Thruway.

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