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According to an announcement by the New York Department of Transportation on Monday, Nov. 21, the two upgrade projects include:
- A $48 million replacement of a bridge in Mount Vernon that carries East Lincoln Avenue over the Hutchinson River Parkway and Hutchinson River;
- A $12.5 million project in Orange County that replaced one bridge and rehabilitated three others in Wawayanda that carry Interstate 84 over the Monhagen Creek and McVeigh Road.
The project in Mount Vernon, which started in the summer of 2020, replaced two structures from 1925 with a single, two-span bridge that has an additional three feet of clearance to help reduce collisions with tall vehicles, according to the Department of Transportation.
Additionally, a large culvert that carries the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway off-ramp over the Hutchinson River was replaced to reduce flooding and withstand severe weather events, officials said.
The project in Wawayanda, which also began in the summer of 2020, replaced one bridge carrying I-84 westbound over McVeigh Road with a single-span, steel-girder bridge that has a concrete deck and a wider shoulder to decrease maintenance costs and improve access for emergency vehicles, according to officials.
As part of the project, three other nearby bridges, all built in the 1960s, were enhanced with reconstructed approaches, surface improvements, and new bridge barriers, officials said.
The Orange County project also created a new section of the 19-mile recreational Heritage Trail meant for hikers and bikers, which runs from Middletown to Harriman. This new part of the trail connects previously unconnected sections and includes a wildlife sanctuary, historic landmarks, streams, meadows, and communities that "offer users a wide array of recreational activities," transportation officials said.
"The project in Orange County benefits all users of the transportation system by enhancing the critically important Interstate 84 travel corridor and also providing new and improved access for hikers and bikers to the popular Heritage Trail," Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said.
"The project in lower Westchester will bring much-needed resiliency to a flood-prone area while also improving traffic flow and connectivity for area residents."
The Department of Transportation is also working on replacing two bridges on the Saw Mill River Parkway in Pleasantville and Mamaroneck, officials said.
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