Cuomo’s Newburgh Beacon Bridge Announcement Surprises Commuters

Governor Cuomo surprised Hudson Valley commuters last week when he pushed up the end date for construction on the Newburgh Beacon Bridge.

Last year the NYSBA revealed plans to redeck the entire westbound span of the Newburgh Beacon Bridge. The work has required a reconfiguring of traffic patterns, forcing east and westbound travelers to share the same bridge. The massive project has resulted in traffic being diverting from both sides of I-84 to the eastbound span.

The enormous undertaking was given a target end date of late 2022, meaning that Hudson Valley commuters would have to deal with closed lanes and congestion for two grueling years.

During last week's State of the State, Governor Cuomo surprised Hudson Valley commuters with some good news. While reviewing the state's infrastructure progress, the governor announced that the Newburgh Beacon Bridge project was ahead of schedule and would actually end nine months early.

That's incredible news, and something for anyone who has to travel across the Hudson River span to celebrate. While there's still plenty of work to be done, it's great to know that it'll end sooner than later.

In the meantime, the NYSBA continues to warn travelers to expect delays as they approach the bridge and prepare for a change in traffic patterns.

• For eastbound traffic coming from I-84: Two lanes, rather than the usual three, will go across the south span of the bridge. Traffic entering I-84 from the Route 9W on-ramp will need to merge into eastbound traffic.
• For westbound traffic coming from I-84: Two lanes from I-84 will be routed toward the south span within the vicinity of the toll plaza. Once on the bridge, eastbound and westbound traffic will be separated by a concrete barrier.
• For westbound traffic coming from Route 9D: Drivers will utilize the exit ramp and stay in the northernmost lane on the north span, which currently functions as a breakdown lane.

Erected in 1963, the northernmost bridge on the dual-span crossing originally handled both east and westbound traffic. Replacement of the bridge's decking is necessary to keep it safe and operational. The southernmost bridge was built in 1980, allowing east and west lanes of I-84 to be diverted to their own spans.