Ashford Avenue Bridge Repairs Begin March 1

A $17.9 million rehabilitation project of the Ashford Avenue Bridge and ramp along the border of Ardsley and Dobbs Ferry will begin impacting traffic starting on Tuesday, March 1, weather permitting.

The full project is expected to take three years to complete and “involves replacing the superstructure and most of the substructure of the 406-foot-long bridge over the Saw Mill River Parkway, South County Trailway, Elm Street, the NYS Thruway (I-87) and the Saw Mill River,” according to county officials.

Additionally, the 174-foot-long entrance/exit ramp structure to the northbound Saw Mill River Parkway also is slated for replacement.

“The Bridge is over 65 years old and must be rehabilitated to ensure the safety of the estimated 20,000 motorists who traverse across it each day in addition to the 100,000 motorists that cross beneath it,” said Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in a statement. “We will do our best to minimize the inconvenience the construction will cause.”

Beginning Tuesday and lasting for a couple of days, workers will modify the sidewalk on the north side of the bridge to eventually allow for single lanes of traffic during construction.

From a county press release:

The current bridge, built in 1950, will remain open during the project using staged construction, however, the northbound ramps will be closed the majority of the time. The project will be undertaken in three primary stages plus a pre-stage. In order to limit the duration of full-time lane reductions on Ashford Avenue and the impacts to the community, pre-stage activities will continue throughout the remainder of the winter and during the spring with off-peak lane closures on Ashford Avenue for sidewalk modifications, off-structure utility relocations and related activities. The northbound ramp closures will begin in several weeks, during the pre-stage.

During stages one and two, Ashford Avenue will be reduced to one lane in each direction. There will also be limited periods of overnight construction during these stages when steel is removed and subsequently installed over the Saw Mill River Parkway and New York State Thruway with lane reductions, stoppages and detours put in place on these limited access facilities. Later, in stage three, after reopening the bridge to two lanes in each direction, there will be off-peak lane closures as sidewalk and paving operations occur. In addition, the entrance and exit ramp to the northbound Saw Mill River Parkway will be closed during the pre-stage and remain closed in stage one. During stage two, the northbound exit will be reopened but the northbound entrance will remain closed. In stage three the entrance and exit ramps will be reopened.

On Tuesday, March 1 and continuing on Wednesday March 2, workers will modify the sidewalk on the north side of the bridge so that one lane of traffic in each direction can fit when the south half of the bridge is demolished, starting this summer. To accomplish this work, the westbound right lane will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. both days. During these periods, the north sidewalk will be closed to pedestrians and the pedestrians will be detoured to the south sidewalk on the bridge. On Thursday, March 3 and Friday March 4, one lane in each direction on Ashford Avenue will be closed 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for utility relocations.

For additional information, contact Westchester County Department of Public Works and Transportation at 995-2555 or visit: www.westchestergov.com/ashfordavenuebridge