NYS Thruway to close to allow for removal of overpass hit nine times by trucks in 2023

The New York State Thruway Authority will fully close a portion of the Thruway to allow for the removal of an overpass hit nine times by trucks in 2023.

Starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 6, the northbound lanes of the Thruway (I-87) in New Paltz between Exit 17 and Exit 18 will be fully closed for at least 12 hours.

In addition to the Thruway closure, the Plattekill Service Area along the northbound Thruway located between exits 17 and 18 will close at 5 p.m. on January 6. No food, restrooms, or fuel will be available. Officials say that commercial vehicles may be asked to leave the facility even earlier than 5 p.m.

The closure will allow crews to safely remove the damaged Brookside Road overpass in New Paltz over the northbound lanes.

“Closed to traffic since May, the Brookside Road overpass has been hit by over-height vehicles nine times in 2023 and 27 times since 2019. These repeated collisions have resulted in considerable damage to the steel that supports the overpass and decreased the amount of weight it can safely carry. Following regular monitoring and multiple inspections, Thruway and consulting engineers have determined the overpass should be removed in the interest of public safety. Built in 1954, the four-span continuous four-girder bridge carries Brookside Road (milepost 74.17) over the Thruway – one lane of traffic in each direction – in the town of New Paltz in Ulster County. It had a vertical clearance is 14.2 feet, which has been reduced to 14 feet due to the multiple bridge strikes in both directions, including one on  Oct. 30 when its girders above the northbound lanes was struck by a truck hauling a forklift,” the Thruway Authority said.

The following detour information was provided by the Thruway Authority:

All northbound traffic will be detoured at exit 17 in Newburgh. The detour between the exits for traffic traveling northbound is 24 miles on local roads (see map). Motorists can follow the posted detour to I-84 east, where they will travel three miles to exit 39 and turn left onto Route 9W north. After approximately 16 miles, vehicles will turn left on westbound Route 299. They will travel five miles to reenter the Thruway at interchange 18 (New Paltz – Poughkeepsie – NY Route 299).

The southbound Thruway between Exits 17 and 18 will remain open the weekend of January 6, but this roadway will be fully closed January 13 — 14 to allow crews to complete the removal of the overpass.

Drivers are asked to either avoid travel or seek alternate routes.