Governor Cuomo Announces Construction To Begin On Kensington Expressway Bridges In Erie County

ALBANY, NY (03/29/2013)(readMedia)-- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that construction will soon begin on a $7.2 million project to rehabilitate four bridges along NY Route 33, the Kensington Expressway, in Erie County. The four bridges are the NY Route 277 (Union Road) bridge over NY Route 33 in the town of Cheektowaga, and the Deerfield Avenue, Hospital Drive, and East Delevan Avenue bridges over NY Route 33 in the city of Buffalo. The project is funded through the NY Works program and meets the goals of Governor Cuomo's Drivers First initiative to ensure that construction causes the least impact to motorists.

"Replacing bridge decks through the NY Works initiative ensures that New York State has a safe and stable infrastructure to support our economy," Governor Cuomo said. "Remembering that drivers come first, construction on this and other projects across the state will progress in a way that provides the least hassle for the driving public so that we can get the work done quickly and efficiently and keep New York moving."

Work to replace the bridge decks is expected to begin on April 1 and will continue through the end of fall. During construction, traffic will be maintained in both directions, on all affected state highways, at all times. Any work requiring lane closures on the Kensington Expressway will be conducted at night or outside of peak travel hours to minimize the impact on commuters.

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald said, "Improving these bridges through Governor Cuomo's innovative NY Works program means we will get approximately 25 more years from the structure and can avoid having to do a costly bridge replacement in just a few years. I ask motorists to drive slowly and cautiously through the work zone during construction so that both the public and the workers can get home safely each day."

The plan to conduct lane closures at night or outside of peak travel hours was established as part of the Drivers First initiative, developed by Governor Cuomo last year. Drivers First requires that capital construction road and bridge projects are reviewed to ensure that motorist impacts are minimized. For this project, it was determined that a carefully prepared traffic management plan could lessen the impact on drivers through the duration of construction.

This project was awarded to Oakgrove Construction Inc. of Elma, Erie County.

NY Works focuses on improving the condition of bridges from fair condition and bringing them to good condition in order to extend their service life. This rehabilitation work will better preserve the state's infrastructure and guard against the need for more costly, in-depth construction. Bundling projects sites within close geographic locations into a single contract enables DOT to lower expenses and obtain lower bids.

It is imperative that motorists remember to drive carefully through this and the many other highway and bridge construction zones they will encounter during the upcoming construction season.

For real-time travel information, call 511 or visit www.511NY.org. 511NY is New York State's official traffic and travel information source. The 511NY site and mobile app offer free, 24/7, statewide, real-time traffic and transit information for all of New York State. It also offers a transit trip planner, camera views, as well as weather alerts and forecasts. New features available at the site – www.511ny.org – include additional mobile app features, border crossing times, new notifications on the home page, and an interface that is easier to navigate.

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