Travel Advisory: Construction Project Will Require Ramp Closures and Lane Reduction on Thruway (I-90) At Exit 51 (Buffalo - NY Route 33 – Airport) This Weekend

TRAVEL ADVISORY: CONSTRUCTION PROJECT WILL REQUIRE RAMP CLOSURES AND LANE REDUCTION ON THRUWAY (I-90) AT EXIT 51 (BUFFALO - NY ROUTE 33 – AIRPORT) THIS WEEKEND   

Closures Are Required to Improve the Vertical Clearance on Rt. 33 Overpass 

  On-Ramp from I-90 Eastbound to Rt. 33 Westbound will close from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday  

Off-Ramp from Rt. 33 Eastbound to I-90 Eastbound will close from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday   

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced ramps at exit 51 (Buffalo – NY Route 33 - Airport) on the Thruway (I-90) will be closed from 6 p.m. Friday, August 21, to 6 a.m. Monday, August 24, and a lane reduction will be in place. The temporary closures are a part of the $64 million pavement improvement and safety enhancement project and will allow crews to increase the vertical clearance of the NY Route 33 overpass to mitigate future bridge strikes.  

Beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 21, through 6 a.m. Monday, August 24, the on-ramp from I-90 eastbound to Rt. 33 westbound and the exit ramp from Rt. 33 eastbound to I-90 eastbound will be closed. Additionally, traffic will be reduced from three lanes to two lanes on I-90 during this time. Detours will be posted. All work is weather dependent. 

Motorists are encouraged to download the newly redesigned NYS Thruway mobile app, available for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides access to real-time traffic information and live traffic cameras, service area information, toll calculator, roadside assistance requests and E-ZPass and Tolls by Mail information. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert emails, follow @ThruwayTraffic on X, or visit thruway.ny.gov for the latest travel information and an interactive statewide traffic map. 

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 here. 

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 2025, the Thruway-wide fatality rate was 0.36 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The figure is significantly lower than the nationwide (estimated) traffic fatality rate for 2025 of 1.10 and the latest New York State (estimated) traffic fatality rate from 2025 of 0.83. 

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