Nyenta.com - New Rochelle: North Avenue Bridge- Phase 2 Construction begins Jan 7

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NYS THRUWAY PRESS RELEASE 12/12/2024

NEXT STAGE OF NORTH AVENUE BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT IN NEW ROCHELLE WILL REQUIRE MODIFIED TRAFFIC PATTERN BEGINNING TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Southbound Traffic Will Be Detoured at Lockwood Avenue to Safely Facilitate Construction as Part of Stage 2

Northbound Traffic Will Use Single Lane on Newly Completed Section of North Avenue Bridge

Remainder of Bridge Will Be Removed and Replaced as Part of $31.8 Million Staged Construction Project

Extended Closures of the Bridge Will Occur to Accommodate Demolition and Steel Installation

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced the $31.8 million project to replace the 65-year-old North Avenue bridge over the New England Thruway (I-95) in New Rochelle is moving into its next stage of construction and will require a temporary traffic detour until late next year to safely facilitate construction.

Starting Tuesday, Jan. 7, all northbound traffic (heading toward City Hall) will travel in the new outer lane through the work zone, while all southbound traffic (heading toward Main Street) will be detoured at Lockwood Avenue and directed to Memorial Highway. This traffic pattern will be in place around the clock until late 2025 to allow the contractor to remove and replace the remainder of the old bridge—its center section. There will also be extended closures of the North Avenue bridge in both directions during demolition and steel installation.

For the safety of motorists and construction workers, North Avenue will be closed to all southbound traffic at Lockwood Avenue beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Motorists should follow the posted detour or seek alternate routes around the work zone. The

southbound detour was not originally planned but is necessary due to the frequency of tractor trailers and other trucks with four or more axles ignoring the posted truck detour that has been in place since early 2023 and traveling through the work zone. Due to space constraints of the Stage 2 work zone, large trucks cannot physically navigate the bridge in the southbound direction and pose a considerable safety risk to workers and motorists. Thruway Authority staff has coordinated extensively with New Rochelle officials to optimize traffic signal timing along the detour route in an effort to improve traffic flow.

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The new traffic pattern is anticipated to be in place for approximately one year.

All local businesses remain accessible.

Variable message signs on North Avenue and in the vicinity are advising motorists of the upcoming detour.

During Stage 1 of the project, the contractor built the outermost components of the new bridge, including installing piles, constructing the center pier, erecting 130-foot-long steel girders and pouring concrete for the road deck. Burling Lane was converted to a one-way road for westbound traffic during this stage, which began in January 2023.

The majority of Stage 2 construction will occur during the day though some work will take place at night for the safety of the project's workers and motorists. There will also

be extended full closures of the bridge—in both directions—to facilitate demolition activities and steel erection. Details will be provided in advance of the work.

Since March 2023, a new traffic pattern has been in place to allow cars, buses, and other vehicles with three axles or less to use the bridge. Left turns from Garden Street to North Avenue remain prohibited.

Here's a summary of traffic flow during Stage 2:

Southbound motorists should follow the posted detour at Lockwood Avenue, just before the bridge, and give themselves extra time; others who don't need to be in the area should seek alternate routes.
First responders, cars, buses, delivery trucks, and vehicles with three axles or less have access to the northbound lane of the bridge at all times.
Burling Lane between North Avenue and May Street remains closed to traffic.
Two lanes remain open to traffic on Station Plaza North and motorists can continue to turn left or right onto North Avenue.
Pedestrian/bicycle traffic can continue to use the walkway over I-95 connecting Burling Lane and the train station.

When the project is substantially completed in late 2025, the new modern bridge will be wider, improve traffic flow on nearby roads, and raise its vertical clearance over I-95 to 16 feet 6 inches from the current height of 14 feet 3 inches. The North Avenue bridge opened in 1958 and connects North Avenue, Garden Street, Burling Lane, and Station Plaza North.

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J. D'Annunzio & Sons, Inc., is the project contractor.

Digital message boards have been placed around the work zone to advise motorists and pedestrians about the project. Physical signs have also been installed in the work zone and in the vicinity to alert motorists and pedestrians about the various detours.

For additional project information, photos and maps, visit the project page on the Thruway Authority's website.

Motorists are urged to be alert and follow the posted in work zone speed limits. Fines are doubled for speeding a work zone.

About the Thruway Authority

The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, built in the early 1950s, is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation. The maintenance and operation of the Thruway system is funded primarily by tolls. The Thruway Authority does not receive any dedicated federal, state or local tax dollars and is paid for by those who drive the Thruway, including one-third of drivers from out of state.

The Authority's approved 2025 Budget invests a total of $477.3 million in dedicated funding for capital projects across the Thruway system beginning in 2025, an increase of more than $33 million compared to the approved 2024 budget. The increased investment will lead to work on approximately 61 percent of the Thruway's more than 2,800 pavement lane miles as well as the replacement or rehabilitation of 20 percent of the Thruway's 817 bridges.

The Thruway is one of the safest roadways in the country with a fatality rate far below the nationwide index, and toll rates are among the lowest in the country compared to similar toll roads. The Thruway's base passenger vehicle toll rate is less than $0.05 per mile, compared to the Ohio Turnpike ($0.06 per mile), the New Jersey Turnpike ($0.12 to $0.32 per mile) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ($0.15 per mile).

The Thruway Authority's top priority is the safety of our employees and customers. In 2024, two Thruway Authority employees died and another was seriously injured in separate incidents while working on the Thruway. The lives of Thruway Authority employees, roadway workers and emergency personnel depend on all of those who travel the highway. Motorists should stay alert and pay attention while driving, slow down in work zones and move over when they see a vehicle on the side of the road. The state's Move Over Law, which was expanded in March 2024, requires drivers to slow down and move over for all vehicles stopped along the roadway. Safety is a shared responsibility.

For more information, follow the Thruway on Facebook, X and Instagram, or visit the Thruway website.

NYS Thruway North Avenue Bridge Project Page

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