Media Briefing: Implementation of Highway Speed E-ZPass at Woodbury Toll Plaza, Orange County

ALBANY, NY (02/25/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York State Thruway Authority will host a media briefing at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 1, 2010, at the Thruway Authority's Harriman Section Maintenance Building, Orange County.

As the Authority works to provide Highway Speed E-ZPass (65 mph) to its customers in the Spring of 2010, traffic patterns within, and approaching, the Toll Plaza will change.

The Authority is seeking the assistance of the local media to help communicate the changes in the traffic pattern to the traveling public.

Immediately following the briefing, members of the media will be transported from the Harriman Section Maintenance Building to the Woodbury Toll Plaza, via Thruway Authority-escorted caravan, where they will be given an opportunity to enter the overhead pedestrian bridge to get a visual of the traffic and toll facility.

Beginning Monday, March 8 through Sunday, May 2, 2010 (tentatively), five (5) lanes of the existing Woodbury Toll Plaza will be completely closed to traffic, during which time demolition of the existing lanes and reconstruction of the four (4) Highway Speed E-ZPass lanes will commence. This time period was chosen because traffic volumes are lighter, resulting in a reduced impact to Thruway customers.

At the completion of the construction, this Spring, the Authority will introduce Highway Speed E-ZPass to both passenger and commercial customers at Woodbury. The overall project is slated for completion this Summer.

The Woodbury Toll Barrier, located on the Thruway mainline at milepost 45.03 in Orange County, is the southern gateway to the Thruway's ticketed system and also serves as the gateway to the Catskills and upstate New York. With approximately 16 million vehicles passing through annually, it is one of the busier toll plazas on the Thruway System.

This important project is part of an ongoing strategic response to operational and maintenance issues related to an aging infrastructure and facilities. Highway Speed E-ZPass is the latest example of the Authority providing innovative solutions to increasingly complex problems while continuing to provide high levels of safety and service to its customers.

Monday, March 1, 2010, 10 a.m.

Harriman Section Maintenance

DIRECTIONS:

From the North or South: Take the Thruway I-87 (North or South) to Interchange 16. After passing through the toll, take the first exit just beyond the toll plaza (Exit 131), make a left onto Route 32 South and then another left to re-enter the Thruway, passing through the Harriman Toll plaza. On the right, just beyond the Toll Plaza, is the entrance into the Harriman Section Maintenance facility.

From the West: Take NY State Route 17 East to the Thruway I-87. On the right, just beyond the Toll Plaza, is the entrance into the Harriman Section Maintenance facility.

Maintenance is located in the tan brick building on the right.

If you are interested in attending the briefing, please contact the Office of Media Relations & Public Affairs at 518-436-2983.

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