I-84 bridges reopen for holiday travel

PORT JERVIS — At long last — and just in time for holiday travel — the I-84 bridges over the Delaware and Neversink Rivers are reopening.

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Matthew J. Driscoll announced Tuesday that lanes on Interstate 84 westbound and eastbound in Port Jervis were set to reopen Wednesday afternoon in time for Thanksgiving, marking the end of a $40 million rehabilitation project and long-term lane closures.

The project is rehabilitating the eastbound and westbound bridges carrying I-84 over the Delaware and Neversink rivers, as well as over County Route 15 and County Route 16.

"Interstate 84 is an important travel and shipping corridor connecting New York to Pennsylvania and points to the west, east, and south. With the rehabilitation of both bridges, motorists traveling along this stretch of highway can anticipate a smoother and safer ride," Driscoll said. "Governor Cuomo knows the importance of transportation and with his leadership we are making smart investments that are improving infrastructure and supporting economic growth all across the state.”

Bridge work will continue through next spring, but it has progressed to a point where long-term lane closures are no longer needed. The project had reduced I-84 to one lane in each direction along an eight-mile stretch between Exit 1 (US Route 6/NJ Route 23) in New York State and Exit 53 (US Route 6/US Route 209) in Pennsylvania.

Construction of the westbound bridges began in March 2014 and was completed in December. Construction on the eastbound bridges began this spring and is now complete.

The entire project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2016.

The construction contractor for the project is Harrison and Burrowes Bridge Constructors of Glenmont, Albany County.

For real-time travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org, or logon to the new mobile site at http://m.511ny.org.