WHITE PLAINS, NY – Construction of the New NY Bridge temporary tolling facility in Rockland County will continue over the coming week with the installation of an overhead gantry above the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) near exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). The public is advised the work will necessitate numerous traffic changes as detailed below.
The gantry will carry cameras and other equipment for a temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system that will allow tolls to be collected at normal highway speeds, thereby reducing traffic delays, improving safety and cutting air pollution. The temporary AETC system will be tested this fall and is scheduled to be implemented in spring 2016. During the testing period, drivers will not be charged or otherwise affected by the gantry (they will continue to pay tolls at the existing Tarrytown toll plaza). When the temporary all-electronic toll system goes into service, the Tarrytown plaza will be closed and a new, permanent AETC system will be built in its location.
The AETC gantry work will necessitate triple-lane closures of the southbound Thruway approaching exit 11 and extending just beyond exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) during weekday overnights from Thursday, July 9 through Friday, July 17. Specific lane closure times are listed in the chart below.
At least one lane will remain open at all times, except during periodic traffic stops lasting up to 10 minutes of all four lanes of the southbound Thruway from exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) to exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – US Route 9) during the overnights of Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17. To ensure the public’s safety, the New York State Police will stop and hold all traffic approaching the area immediately before the traffic stops go into effect.
Additionally, the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound Thruway will be closed from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. during the overnights of Wednesday, July 15; Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the following graphic below. Specific ramp closure times are listed in the chart below.
All planned work is subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations.
Steel Girder Assemblies
As piers are finalized in the coming weeks and months, steel girder assemblies for the approach span of the new bridge will continue being installed by the I Lift NY super crane.
The project’s progress can be viewed online via construction cameras situated around the project site. Visit NewNYBridgeGallery.com/WebCam to see panoramic and close up views.
Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack
Next week also will see continued installation of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. The work will involve drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.
River Road in South Nyack
River Road utility work will continue during the coming week. The work may require reducing River Road to one lane at times. TZC flag persons will direct traffic as needed and additional signage as well as other safety measures will be in place.
Foundation Work on the New Bridge
Marine crews are continuing work on bridge foundations next week by placing reinforcing steel and concrete in the piles, main span pile caps and approach span pile caps. The high-strength concrete is made on site by the project’s floating batch plants. Teams also will erect formwork for the cast-in-place pier columns, which eventually will support the new bridge’s road deck.
Crews also will continue working on the bridge’s landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.
Additionally, TZC will continue concrete placement for bridge foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and is delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the Thruway’s southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.
Additional work includes:
• Pile cap foundation construction
• Main span foundation construction
• Landing abutment concrete work
• Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
• Survey inspections on the existing bridge
• Westchester landings utility work
Boater Safety
During the summer months, Westchester and Rockland Marine Units will add extra patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.
More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.
Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.
All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations.