LANE CLOSURES SCHEDULED FOR $40 MILLION PROJECT TO REPLACE SIX INTERSTATE BRIDGES

ALBANY, NY (03/04/2014)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald today announced that an eight-mile stretch of Interstate 84 in Port Jervis, Orange County, will be reduced to one lane in each direction next week to accommodate work on a $40 million project to rehabilitate the eastbound and westbound bridges carrying I-84 over the Delaware and Neversink rivers, as well as over County Route 15 and County Route 16. Work will begin Monday, March 10 in the eastbound direction with construction of traffic crossovers.

"Interstate 84 is a major travel and shipping corridor connecting New York with Pennsylvania and points west and south. It is essential that this corridor remains in a state of good repair," Commissioner McDonald said. "Rehabilitating these six bridges will help maintain economic connectivity throughout New York and New England."

I-84 will be reduced from two lanes in each direction to one between Exit 1 (US 6/NJ 23) in New York State and Exit 53 (US 6/US 209) in Pennsylvania. The lane closures will take effect in the eastbound direction on Monday, followed by closures in the westbound direction on March 17. The closures will remain in place through the end of this year.

Work will begin with construction of crossovers that will bring westbound traffic onto the eastbound side. Once the crossovers are completed, westbound traffic will be crossed to the existing eastbound bridges. Traffic will operate on the eastbound side with one lane in each direction separated by a concrete barrier. Work will then begin to rehabilitate the westbound structures.

Construction of the westbound bridges will occur this year and is expected to be finished in December. Next spring, traffic in both directions will use the new westbound bridges while work occurs on the eastbound bridges. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015.

The construction contractor for the project is Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc. of Glenmont, Albany County.

Motorists are asked to use caution when traveling through the work area and pay particular attention to all traffic control devices, including work zone signs and flaggers.

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Motorists are also 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 the driver's license.

For real-time travel information, call 511 or visit www.511NY.org. Follow New York State DOT on Twitter: @NYSDOT. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/NYSDOT.

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