New Bridge Enhances Safety and Improves Traffic Flow Along Critical City Corridor
Busy Crossing Serves Downtown, Public Transit Center and Residential Buildings
Two Lanes in Each Direction Fully Open to Traffic
Burling Lane Now Open as a One-Way Street at the Request of the City
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of a $31.8 million project to build a new bridge carrying North Avenue over the New England Thruway (I-95) in the City of New Rochelle, Westchester County. The Thruway Authority project replaced the 65-year-old crossing with a modern wider span that enhances safety and improves traffic flow along the busy route that’s used by approximately 20,000 motorists each day. Additionally, the bridge’s vertical clearance over I-95 was raised more than two feet to 16 feet 6 inches to enhance safety and reduce the chances of collisions by over-height vehicles. Further improvements were made to adjacent streets and a city pocket park.
“New York is upgrading our aging infrastructure like never before, delivering better connections and smoother commutes to communities across the state,” Governor Hochul said. “New Rochelle is a city on the move, with a booming population and more growth happening every year, and it is critical that its infrastructure matches the needs of a growing city. The newly enhanced North Avenue is a connection that befits this city, providing tens of thousands of residents a safer and more reliable crossing over the New England Thruway every day.”
The new bridge fully reopened on Tuesday, April 28 with two lanes of traffic in each direction — for the first time since January 2023 when the project started. Work was done in three stages so half of the span could remain open to traffic, maintaining access to downtown and other key parts of the city. Decisions were made in collaboration with city officials throughout; the Thruway Authority and its contractor also accommodated the annual iconic New Rochelle Thanksgiving Parade which travels along North Avenue.
Throughout the project, first responders had access to the bridge and a pedestrian detour was maintained between Burling Lane and the New Rochelle Transit Center.
Most of the construction was done during the day, except for overhead work including deck removal and steel erection, which required I-95 lane closures and traffic stops.
Other major improvements advanced as part of the project include:
- Adding a left turn lane from southbound North Avenue onto Garden Street
- Converting Burling Lane to one way from North Avenue to Memorial Highway at the request of New Rochelle officials
- Improving traffic flow on Garden Street with a new traffic signal
- Building new sidewalks and adding benches to both sides of the bridge
The project also included the installation of decorative lighting and fencing on the bridge; enhancements to the landscaping and the addition of a new handicap ramp at the pocket park at the corner of North Avenue and Burling Lane; and the addition of “City of New Rochelle” signage onto the facia of the bridge to serve as a gateway for drivers on I-95.
About the Thruway System
Built in the early 1950s, the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation. It sets the standard for modern highway geometric design with safe roadway characteristics including smooth curves, wide medians and unobstructed driver sight distance.
Year after year, the Thruway system is recognized as one of the safest highways in the nation. In 2024, the Thruway-wide fatality rate was 0.22 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, one of the lowest recorded rates on the Thruway system since fatality rates were documented in 1954. The figure is significantly lower than the nationwide traffic fatality rate for 2024 of 1.20 and the latest New York State traffic fatality rate from 2023 of 0.93.
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