The pavement is going to be repaired on a four-mile stretch of I-95, and pedestrian bridges over the expressway will also be tended to.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $61.8 million project on Friday, which focuses on four miles of the New England Thruway I-95. The section is largely located in the Bronx, with its tail end in Westchester County.
The stretch goes from milepost zero to milepost four, which starts just north of the Pelham Bay Park 6 train station under the Westchester Avenue bridge where the Bruckner Expressway becomes part of the New England Thruway. The route continues past the Bay Plaza Mall and Co-op City and runs through northwest parts of Pelham Bay Park before dipping into Pelham Manor in Westchester.
The project will start with “full-depth pavement repairs,” with crews removing the most deteriorated portions on the roadway down to its subbase and replacing them, in both the northbound and southbound directions, according to the governor’s office. After the pavement is repaired, workers will install a two-course asphalt overlay to smoothen the ride for drivers. This will cover more than 24 miles of driving lanes.
Also as part of the project, the governor’s office said 10 vehicular bridges and ramps and one pedestrian bridge will be rehabilitated, though spokespersons for her office did not specify which ones or respond to requests for elaboration. According to Cynthia Prisco, the legislative coordinator and constituent services director for City Councilmember Kevin Riley’s office, the pedestrian bridge is the one that connects Co-op City and Pelham Bay. Much of the stretch undergoing renovations goes through Riley’s district, which includes Baychester and Co-op City.
Additionally, the superstructures holding up the 222nd Street and Dyre Avenue pedestrian bridges will be replaced, according to the governor’s office.
The superstructures — concrete decks and steel beams — will be taken down and replaced over 48-hour weekend periods, and free shuttle bus service will be available in their absence. The dates and further details will be announced later, according to the governor’s office.
A new guiderail, additional reflective striping and upgrades to concrete barriers and curbs are also part of the project, according to Hochul’s office.
Prisco told the Bronx Times that while the Thruway Authority has helped address spot repairs, “a broader scale project like this allows for more comprehensive work to be done, and for it to be able to sustain.”
And Riley’s office has received complaints about the condition of the highway.
“Admittedly, we have fielded constituent complaints about both the roadway conditions and pedestrian bridges during our short tenure, and are proud to have been able to work with our New York State government colleagues to support this project,” Prisco told the Bronx Times.
The majority of work and all paving will take place overnight and is expected to be done by the end of the year, according to Hochul’s office. Drivers can expect to encounter lane closures, traffic shifts and stoppages during construction and there will be work zone speed limits in place, in which fines are doubled for.
The Thruway Authority’s mobile app has travel updates and the authority’s online Traveler Map has live traffic cameras. Drivers can also sign up for TRANSalert emails for traffic conditions.
According to the governor’s office, about 120,000 vehicles use the four-mile corridor daily.
“New York State is committed to rehabilitating aging infrastructure in communities that have gone overlooked for far too long,” Hochul said. “This project will make critical safety improvements to I-95 in the Bronx and Westchester County and provide not only a safer driving experience for the millions of New Yorkers who drive on the highway every year, but also modernize the state’s transportation infrastructure.”
Representatives from Hochul’s office did not respond to questions about existing issues on the four-mile stretch and the construction timeline for the project.
Reach Aliya Schneider at aschneider@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4597. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
