Saw Mill Parkway Flood Control Project: Update

PLEASANTVILLE, NY — Steel pile driving on the northbound Saw Mill River Parkway is anticipated to begin Jan. 10 as crews continue making the historic road more resistant to floods.

The steel pile driving on the two bridges that carry the parkway over the Saw Mill River will take place for about three weeks, Monday-Friday during daytime hours, weather permitting.

Timber pile driving along the northbound side of the Saw Mill River Parkway in Mount Pleasant and Pleasantville continues. This stage of timber pile driving, which started the week of Dec. 13, will continue 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday through May, weather permitting.

Roadway and maintenance work also continues.

It's been more than a year since work started to stabilize a 1.3 mile stretch of the parkway and build two new bridges over the meandering Saw Mill River to meet 100-year flood projections.

The Saw Mill, like Westchester's other vintage parkways, floods whenever there's heavy rain and can become impassable for days at various places along its length during storms — such as Henri and Ida this fall.

Since it was built in the 1930s, the Pleasantville part of the parkway has experienced significant settlements — of up to 5 feet — due to the consolidation of the soil layer in response to increased loads from traffic and roadway construction. So the project not only includes drainage improvements but also an embankment so that post-construction settlement is limited to 2 inches over a 50-year time frame along the roadway surface.

Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver license.

For additional construction information, please contact outreach@lowerwestchesterbridges.com or 914-527-3193, or visit www.lowerwestchesterbridges.com.