Westchester Bridges Over I-95 Now Closed to Traffic

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — This summer, traffic headaches will be the rule rather than the exception for a large swath of the Sound Shore as several major arteries are closed until the start of fall.

UPDATE: The West Street Bridge will temporarily remain open to traffic. "A closure date will be determined at a later time," a Thruway Authority spokesperson said in a statement announcing the change. "Due to sequencing of work, crews will begin on the Old White Plains Road and Boston Post Road bridges first."

Three bridges over the New England Thruway are now closed to traffic as crews work to raise vertical clearance on the interstate highway. The project also includes pavement resurfacing and safety improvements on the stretch of I-95.

The $19.9 million road and bridge work project kicked off on Tuesday. The bridges are not expected to reopen until early fall of this year.

“This is an important infrastructure investment project on I-95 to bring lower clearance bridges to modern standards and continue to provide a safe and reliable roadway to motorists,” Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll said. “We’ve provided extensive outreach with community leaders and municipalities to prepare for this construction, and we thank them for their support as we move forward with this project.”

Starting Tuesday, the Old White Plains Road Bridge, the West Street Bridge and the Boston Post Road bridge will be closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic for the duration of the work. The bridges are being raised to a 14’6” vertical clearance that meets modern standards. The current clearance of the overpasses is 14 '3” in height.

Detours will be in place at each bridge. Signs will alert drivers to new routes.

Additional work includes pavement resurfacing and other safety improvements on I-95 at milepost 8.8 (just before exit 18A) to milepost 10.8 northbound (just after exit 18B) and on I-95 from milepost 13.0 (just after exit 19) to milepost 14.1 (just before exit 22) northbound and southbound.

The Thruway Authority says the major construction project was designed to align with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's “Drivers First Initiative” to ensure construction will have the least possible impact on motorists. The initiative prevented the project from getting underway until after the Independence Day holiday weekend.

Motorists may encounter lane closures on the Thruway along with traffic shifts and stoppages while construction is underway. Surface roads near the closed bridges are also expected to see congestion and delays

Drivers are reminded to be alert and follow the posted work zone speed limits. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. In accordance with the Work Zone Safety Act, convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver license.

SEE ALSO:

• Boston Post Rd Bridge Over I-95 To Close July 6 Through September
• Expect Summer Roadwork and Possible Bottlenecks: Mayor

Thruway travelers are encouraged to visit thruway.ny.gov for real-time traffic updates.

Motorists can also download the Thruway Authority’s free mobile-app and sign up for TRANSalerts for traffic information.