Governor Kathy Hochul announced the commencement of a $19.4 million infrastructure project to rehabilitate two bridges on Interstate 87 in Rockland County. Originally constructed in the 1950s, the bridges will undergo deck and joint replacements to enhance safety and longevity. The initiative is part of a broader $477.3 million investment in Thruway improvements scheduled for 2025. With approximately 120,000 vehicles passing through the corridor daily, officials assure that three lanes in each direction will remain open throughout the project, which is expected to conclude by fall 2026.
Governor Hochul Announces Start of $19.4 Million Project to Rehabilite Two Bridges on Thruway (I-87) in Rockland County
Both Bridges are Located in the Village of Suffern and Were Built in the 1950s
Work Will Replace Bridge Joints and Deck, Enhancing Safety and Expanding the Life of Each Structure
Project Expected to Be Complete in Fall 2026
Thruway Authority Scheduled to Invest $477.3 Million in Dedicated Funding in Infrastructure Improvements Across the Thruway System in 2025
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced work is underway on a $19.4 million project to rehabilitate two aging bridges on the New York State Thruway (I-87/ I-287) in the village of Suffern, Rockland County. Beginning this month, motorists will encounter lane shifts to facilitate construction. Three travel lanes in each direction will be maintained at all times through this critical corridor, with an estimated 120,000 vehicles traveling it daily.
“My administration is firmly committed to rehabilitating roads and bridges across the state,” Governor Hochul said. “This investment will help enhance safety, ensuring a smoother ride for the tens of thousands of regional travelers who use this vital Thruway corridor each day.”
Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare said, “The Thruway Authority is dedicated to reinvesting toll dollars to modernize its infrastructure. These bridges have served us reliably over the decades and we are undertaking efforts to ensure they remain safe and dependable for the tens of millions of motorists who use them each year.”
Contractor crews will repair concrete substructure and steel superstructure, along with completely replacing the concrete deck and parapets with precast concrete deck panels on the bridge over Route 202 (milepost 29.54). Crews will construct new bridge joints on the span over the Mahwah River (milepost 29.41). Both bridges are located on I-87 between exit 14B (Airmont – Montebello – Airmont Road) and Exit 15 (New Jersey – I-287 – NJ Route 17 South).
Preliminary work began last fall on the bridges, both of which are at least 70 years old and about a tenth of a mile apart. The stretch of Thruway also serves motorists and commercial vehicles traveling to and from New Jersey via I-287 via Exit 15 at milepost 30.17.
Other project improvements will include rehabilitating median drainage structures, building new median barriers and installing new pavement markings. Signs in the area will advise motorists of lane shifts. Motorists are urged to be alert and follow the posted speed limits in work zones. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026, by project contractor, DeFoe Corp. of Mount Vernon, N.Y.
About the Thruway Authority
The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, built in the early 1950s, is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation. The maintenance and operation of the Thruway system is funded primarily by tolls. The Thruway Authority does not receive any dedicated federal, state or local tax dollars and is paid for by those who drive the Thruway, including one-third of drivers from out of state.
In 2024, the Thruway Authority processed more than 400 million transactions and motorists drove 8.2 billion miles on the Thruway. The Authority’s approved 2025 Budget invests a total of $477.3 million in dedicated funding for capital projects across the Thruway system beginning in 2025, an increase of more than $33 million compared to the approved 2024 budget. The increased investment will lead to work on approximately 61 percent of the Thruway’s more than 2,800 pavement lane miles as well as the replacement or rehabilitation of 20 percent of the Thruway’s 817 bridges.
The Thruway is one of the safest roadways in the country with a fatality rate far below the nationwide index, and toll rates are among the lowest in the country compared to similar toll roads. The Thruway’s base passenger vehicle toll rate is less than 5 cents per mile, compared to the Ohio Turnpike (6 cents per mile), the New Jersey Turnpike (up to 39 cents per mile) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike (16 cents per mile).
The Thruway Authority’s top priority is the safety of our employees and customers. In 2024, two Thruway Authority employees died and another was seriously injured in separate incidents while working on the Thruway. The lives of Thruway Authority employees, roadway workers and emergency personnel depend on all of those who travel the highway. Motorists should stay alert and pay attention while driving, slow down in work zones and move over when they see a vehicle on the side of the road. The state’s Move Over Law, which was expanded in March 2024, requires drivers to slow down and move over for all vehicles stopped along the roadway. Safety is a shared responsibility.
For more information, follow the Thruway on Facebook, X and Instagram, or visit the Thruway website.
March 24, 2025
Albany, NY
Sources: NY.gov, Midtown Tribune
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