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Demolition at the North Avenue bridge over the roadway in New Rochelle will begin on Monday, Oct. 30 and is set to last around three weeks, the New York Thruway Authority announced.
The work, which is part of a $31.8 million project to replace the 65-year-old bridge, will require lane closures and traffic stops on both I-95 and North Avenue, officials said. Once demolition begins, this will include:
- Two out of three lanes in both directions on I-95 being closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weeknights;
- North Avenue transitioning to a one-way alternating traffic pattern between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on most work nights.
In mid-November, motorists will also have to watch out for multiple traffic stops lasting up to 20 minutes that will take place concurrently on I-95 and North Avenue. These will allow cranes to safely load large sections of steel onto flatbed trucks staioned on the highway, official said.
The three-year project that will replace the bridge is now in the first of three stages, which provides for two lanes of traffic in the center of the structure so the outermost components can be removed and new foundations can be built.
The upcoming removal of superstructure elements though will necessitate the overnight work and cause the "unavoidable impacts to traffic," officials said.
In order to avoid the traffic impacts, motorists are being encouraged to avoid the area starting around 8 p.m. Signs will be posted on and around North Avenue to advise drivers of detour routes.
The traffic impacts resulting from the demolition work will follow the implementation of a new traffic pattern in the area of the bridge that began in March. Under this traffic pattern, left turns from North Avenue to Garden Street are prohibited, as well as left turns from Garden Street to North Avenue.
Because of the construction work, trucks with four or more axles are not allowed to travel on the bridge and will instead have to follow an alternate route.
The bridge, which originally opened in 1958, is expected to be replaced by 2025 and be wider, improve traffic flow, and have a higher vertical clearance over I-95. The project will be completed in three stages:
- Stage 1 will include the construction of new substructures, erection of steel, and placement of concrete decks;
- Stage 2 will move vehicles to new outer lane sections of the bridge so the two inner lanes and the remainder of the old bridge can be replaced;
- Stage 3 will move vehicles to the inner lanes once again so that sidewalks, paving, decorative lighting, and other work can be done.
Around 7.3 million vehicles are estimated to travel on the bridge each year, according to NY Thruway officials.
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