I-87 Lane Closures, Traffic Stop Planned Near Cuomo Bridge

TARRYTOWN, NY — Improved access to walking and biking paths on the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge could mean delays for drivers on Friday night into Saturday morning.

The New York State Thruway Authority announced on Monday that work to install a new 270-foot-long pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the Thruway (I-87) in Tarrytown will require overnight lane closures and multiple traffic stops in both directions on Friday, weather permitting.

The work is expected to take about 10 hours, beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday and finishing by 8 a.m. on Saturday. Drivers are strongly urged to travel outside of these work hours or seek alternate routes to avoid potential travel delays. In case of rain, the work will instead take place Saturday night into Sunday morning.

SEE ALSO: Cuomo Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Work In Tarrytown Set To Begin

The new bridge is part of a $13.9 million, two-year, multimodal project that began in the spring of 2023 and is funded by both the Thruway Authority and the Department of Transportation.

More than 700,000 people have visited the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge's 3.6-mile path since it opened in 2020. However, the side path currently ends at a high-volume jug handle where Route 9 meets Route 119.

When completed, the Cuomo Bridge’s side path will extend about 1 mile south from the path’s Westchester Landing at 333 South Broadway in Tarrytown to Lyndhurst Mansion, where pedestrians and cyclists will be able to seamlessly connect with the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail.

Contractor crews began assembling the bridge's 12 truss sections on a portion of Route 9 (South Broadway) earlier this month, on June 3. The bridge measures 270 feet long, 16 feet wide and 15 feet tall.

After 10 p.m. on Friday, southbound and northbound lanes near exit 9 (Tarrytown - Sleepy Hollow - US Route 9) will be closed to allow crews to bring two large cranes onto the highway. They will need several hours to set up the crane's outriggers. Throughout the night, one northbound lane and two southbound lanes will stay open.

Early Saturday morning, crews will rig the new bridge to the cranes, then lift and place it onto two abutments on either side of the highway. State police will hold traffic in both directions during the lift for the safety of drivers and workers. Flaggers will also hold traffic on Route 9. The traffic stop is expected to last around 20 minutes.

The multiple lane closures are expected to be in place no later than 8 a.m. on Saturday so crews can disassemble the two cranes and remove them from the highway. Variable Message Signs on the Thruway and surrounding highways are warning drivers of the upcoming work.

Finishing work will take place on the bridge over the next few weeks before it opens to the public at the end of this summer.

Later this summer and in the early fall, crews will complete the remaining activities, which include relocating Tarrytown’s water main onto the Route 9 vehicle bridge; repairing and resurfacing Route 9 from Route 119 to just south of Gracemere Lane; restriping the roadway to add the second left turn lane on southbound Route 9; and landscaping at the end of Paulding Avenue.

Gianfia Corporation of Hawthorne was awarded the contract following a competitive bidding process.

More information can be found on the Thruway Authority website's project page.

Drivers should follow posted work zone speed limits and are reminded that fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. According to the Work Zone Safety Act of 2005, convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual's driver license.