Thruway Authority Announces $6.3 Million Project to Rehabilitate the NYS Route 7 Bridge Over the Thruway in Schenectady County

Thruway Authority Announces $6.3 Million Project To Rehabilitate The Nys Route 7 Bridge Over The Thruway In Schenectady County

Project Includes Deck Replacement, Steel Repairs and Safety Upgrades

Project Expected to be Substantially Complete in Fall 2026

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced a $6.3 million project to rehabilitate the NYS Route 7 bridge over the Thruway (I-90) (milepost 158.54) in Schenectady County is underway. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is a funding partner with the New York State Thruway Authority on the project. The bridge, which will remain open to traffic during construction, carries approximately 12,650 vehicles per day. 

“The NYS Route 7 bridge is a busy connector in the Schenectady area and is receiving essential upgrades to enhance safety and reliability for decades to come,” New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare, Esq. said. “The Thruway Authority reinvests toll revenue back into the system, modernizing our transportation network, and improving travel for motorists while continuing to be one of the safest superhighways in the nation.”

“The Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority are committed to this important rehabilitation project in Schenectady County that will help keep New Yorkers moving safely across the Capital Region,” New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said. “By making smart, targeted investments in critical infrastructure that is vital to commuters, commercial drivers, and tourists, we are keeping communities connected and ensuring that everyone has access to the jobs, destinations, and opportunities that make New York a great place to live.”

The Thruway Authority built the bridge in 1955. The NYSDOT replaced the structure in 1982 and is responsible for its maintenance along with the Thruway Authority. Rehabilitating bridges on the Thruway system keeps the structures safe and in operational condition while extending their service lives. The rehabbed bridge will have an extended service life of approximately 50 years.

The project includes deck replacement, bearing replacement, joint repairs, substructure repairs and structural steel repairs, the installation of new bridge rail and the bridge will be painted.

Work zone traffic control measures and traffic shifts shall be utilized to maintain one lane in each direction for the duration of the project.

Winn Construction Services, Inc. of Amsterdam, NY is the project contractor following a competitive bidding process. The project is expected to be substantially complete in Fall 2026. 

Motorists may encounter traffic slowdowns or stoppages on the Thruway in this area during construction.   

The work is weather dependent and subject to change. Motorists are urged to be alert and follow the posted work zone speed limits. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Motorists should be aware of an increase in points for violations of speeding in a construction zone.

To further enhance safety for workers in a work zone, Governor Hochul signed legislation establishing the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement pilot program. The safety enforcement program is in effect in various active construction zones on the Thruway. Work zones with speed camera enforcement will have clear signage leading up to the work zone. Motorists violating the posted speed limit within the work zone will be fined. More information on the program can be found on the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program website.

The Thruway Authority’s approved 2026 budget also invests a total of more than $600 million in capital contracts scheduled to be awarded in 2026, an increase of more than $133.5 million from the 2025 budget projected totals, and one of the largest single-year investments in Thruway history. The 2026 budget includes a historic $2.8 billion Capital Plan for 2026-2030. The five-year plan will fund the replacement or preservation of 150 of the Thruway’s 819 bridges—about 18 percent—and the resurfacing of more than 1,500 of its 2,800 lane miles of highway, or roughly 60 percent.

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 have been 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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