Thruway Authority Announces Start of $7.8 Million Bridge Replacement Project on Thruway in Greene County

Interchange 21 Bridge Over I-87 Being Replaced with New Structure

More Than $162 Million Invested in Capital Projects in the Capital Region Since 2024

Project Expected to be Completed in Fall 2027

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced the start of a $7.8 million project to replace the Interchange 21 bridge over the Thruway (I-87) at milepost 113.89 in Greene County. The 71-year-old bridge will be replaced with a modern structure. Approximately 4,800 vehicles per day travel over the bridge. The Thruway Authority has invested more than $162 million in Capital Region Projects since 2024.

“The Thruway Authority is reinvesting its toll revenue directly into capital projects that enhance the safety and reliability of the system,” Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare, Esq. said. “The Interchange 21 bridge connects thousands of motorists on the Thruway in the Catskill area, and these investment projects maintain the Thruway as one of the safest and affordable superhighways in the nation.”

The new bridge will have an anticipated service life of 75 years. The project includes wider shoulders, an improved riding surface, a new barrier with a snow fence on the bridge and an increased vertical clearance from 14 feet 3 inches to 16 feet 11 inches to enhance safety and reduce the chance of bridge hits. 

The Interchange 21 bridge will remain open to traffic during construction utilizing a temporary traffic light for one-way traffic on the bridge. 

When construction pauses for the winter, the traffic light will be removed and there will be one lane open in each direction for traffic. Work will then resume in Spring 2027.

HVB Construction, Inc. of Harriman, NY is the project contractor following a competitive bidding process. The project is expected to be completed in Fall 2027. 

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 began in April 2023 and 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. Violation fines will be issued to the vehicle’s registered owner by mail. More information on the program can be found here.

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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