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The new U-turn, located by Exit 17 on Interstate 95 in Mamaroneck, will help fire officials and other first responders more quickly reach emergencies, according to the New York Thruway Authority, which announced the completion of the U-turn on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
The project was started to benefit emergency vehicles that historically had difficulty crossing the three lanes of southbound I-95 to reach emergencies on the highway's northbound lanes. In these situations, first responders would often have to travel more than two miles to the next exit and re-enter the highway in the northbound lanes, adding ten minutes to response time, Thruway Authority officials said.
To rectify these issues, the new U-turn is more convenient to access, is restricted to emergency vehicles, and was built with more width to accommodate large vehicles like fire trucks. It also provides more room for emergency vehicles to speed up or slow down when entering or exiting the U-turn, according to the Thruway Authority.
"This easier-to-access U-turn will save valuable time for firefighters responding to a car fire on the highway or house fire in a local neighborhood," said Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll.
Mamaroneck's fire chief also praised the completed U-turn project.
"The completion of the new U-turn will help ensure the safety of firefighters and emergency personnel responding to incidents on I-95 by giving us a safer access to cross the highway," said Fire Chief Shaun Hughes.
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