For Immediate Release: 06/24/24
Contact: Office of Media Relations and Communications | (518) 471-5300 | public.info@thruway.ny.gov
TRAVEL ADVISORY: PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE BRIDGE INSTALLATION IN TARRYTOWN WILL REQUIRE OVERNIGHT LANE CLOSURES AND A TRAFFIC STOP ON THE THRUWAY NEAR THE GOVERNOR MARIO M. CUOMO BRIDGE THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 28
Two Cranes Will Lift and Set in Place New 270-Foot-Long Pedestrian Bridge Over the Thruway
Lane Closures and One Traffic Stop Will Occur After 10 PM on Friday
Operation is Expected to Last 10 Hours
Motorists Should Seek Alternate Times to Travel or Take a Different Route to Avoid Delays
The New York State Thruway Authority today announced that work to install a new 270-foot-long pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the Thruway (I-87) in Tarrytown (Westchester County) will require overnight lane closures and multiple traffic stops in both directions on Friday, June 28, weather permitting. The operation is anticipated to last approximately 10 hours, beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday and finishing by 8 a.m. Saturday, June 29. Motorists are strongly encouraged to travel outside of these work hours or if that’s not possible, they should seek alternate routes to avoid potential travel delays. In case of rain, the work will take place Saturday night into Sunday morning.
The new pedestrian bridge is part of a $13.9 million two-year multimodal project that began in spring 2023 and is funded by both the Thruway Authority and Department of Transportation. Contractor crews began assembling the bridge’s 12 truss sections on a portion of Route 9 (South Broadway) on June 3. The bridge measures 270-foot-long, 16 feet wide and 15 feet tall, and is the centerpiece of a multifaceted project to extend the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge side path one mile south to Lyndhurst Mansion. The project will also add a second left turn lane from South Broadway to the southbound Thruway entrance ramp and install a traffic signal on Route 9 at Paulding Avenue to make it safer to turn left, among other improvements for residents, motorists, visitors, and area businesses.
After 10 p.m. Friday, lanes in both the southbound and northbound directions near exit 9 (Tarrytown - Sleepy Hollow - US Route 9) will be closed to allow crews to bring two large cranes onto the highway. Crews will need several hours to set up the crane’s outriggers. Throughout the night, one lane will remain open in the northbound direction, while two lanes will stay open in the southbound direction.
Early Saturday morning, crews will rig the new bridge to the cranes, then lift and place it onto two abutments on either side of the highway. State Police will hold traffic in both directions during the lift for the safety of motorists and workers; flaggers will also hold traffic on Route 9. The traffic stop is expected to last approximately 20 minutes.
The multiple lane closures are expected to be in place no later than 8 a.m. Saturday so crews can disassemble the two cranes and remove them from the highway. Variable Message Signs on the Thruway and surrounding highways are advising motorists of the upcoming work.
Finishing work will take place on the bridge itself over the coming weeks before it opens to the public at the end of the summer.
Later this summer and in the early fall, crews will complete the remaining activities, which include relocating Tarrytown’s water main onto the Route 9 vehicle bridge; repairing and resurfacing Route 9 from Route 119 to just south of Gracemere Lane; restriping the roadway to add the second left turn lane on southbound Route 9; and landscaping at the end of Paulding Avenue.
Gianfia Corporation of Hawthorne, N.Y., is the project contractor.
Upon completion of the project at the end of 2024, the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge's side path will extend approximately one mile south from the path’s Westchester Landing at 333 South Broadway in Tarrytown to Lyndhurst Mansion, where pedestrians and cyclists will be able to seamlessly connect with the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. The side path currently ends at a high-volume jug handle where Route 9 meets Route 119. Some 700,000 people have visited the 3.6-mile path since it opened in 2020.
For additional project information, renderings, and graphics, visit the project page on the Thruway Authority’s website.
Motorists should 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.
The Authority’s 2024 Budget invests a total of $451 million to support its Capital Program, which is expected to invest $2.4 billion into capital projects over the next five years—a $500 million increase following the recently enacted toll adjustment. 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. Approximately $377.4 million is being invested in infrastructure projects in the Hudson Valley from 2024 to 2028 as part of the Thruway Authority’s Capital Program.
The Authority operates and maintains one of the safest, low-cost superhighways in the nation. The 570-mile Thruway system is funded by toll dollars, not state or local taxes.
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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