Multiple Traffic Stoppages on I-95 and North Avenue Will Be Required Nightly to Install Steel as Part $31.8 Million Bridge Replacement Project

Two Lanes on I-95 in Each Direction Will Close Nightly to Safely Facilitate Work

Work is Expected to Last Four Nights

Motorists are Encouraged to Seek Alternate Routes Around Work Zone to Avoid Delays

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced the North Avenue bridge replacement project over the New England Thruway (I-95) in New Rochelle is continuing to progress as steel for the remainder of the new bridge is scheduled to be installed beginning on Tuesday, May 27, weather permitting. The overnight work is expected to take four nights to complete and will require multiple lane closures and traffic stops on I-95 to safely facilitate overhead work activities. Limited and intermittent traffic stops also will be required on North Avenue near the bridge to stage equipment.

In January 2025, the $31.8 million project to replace the North Avenue bridge moved into its next stage of construction. All northbound traffic (heading toward City Hall) is now traveling in the bridge’s new outer lane through the work zone, while all southbound traffic (heading toward Main Street) is being detoured at Lockwood Avenue and directed to Memorial Highway. This traffic pattern will be in place around the clock until later this year to allow the contractor to construct the center section of the bridge.

The majority of this stage of construction is occurring during the day, however activities, such as the installation of superstructure elements, will require the work to be done at night. This approach limits the unavoidable impacts to traffic—both on the highway and within the city—and facilitates the safety of the project’s workers and motorists.

During the upcoming work, two out of three lanes in each direction on I-95 will be closed on weeknights, starting as early as 10 p.m. with full reopening by 5 a.m.

Multiple traffic stops lasting up to 20 minutes will take place on I-95 to allow two cranes to safely lift the 130-foot-long steel girders, and other large steel segments from flatbed trucks stationed on North Avenue. New Rochelle police officers or flaggers will briefly stop and hold traffic on North Avenue as needed after 8 p.m. while equipment is moved.

Motorists may wish to take alternate routes around the work zone to avoid delays.

The public should check the Thruway Authority’s Facebook and X accounts for the latest travel advisories.

The North Avenue bridge replacement project began in January 2023. During its first stage, the contractor built the outermost components of the new bridge, installing piles, constructing the center pier, erecting steel girders and pouring concrete for the road deck. Burling Lane was converted into a one-way road for westbound traffic.

Since the start of this year, contractor crews have removed the remainder of the old crossing and installed foundations to support the new center section of the bridge.

A new traffic pattern has been in place since 2023 to allow cars, buses, and other vehicles with three axles or less to use the bridge. Here’s a summary:

• Southbound motorists should follow the posted detour at Lockwood Avenue, just before the bridge, and give themselves extra time; others who don’t need to be in the area should seek alternate routes.
• First responders, cars, buses, delivery trucks, and vehicles with three axles or less have access to the northbound lane of the bridge at all times.
• Left turns from Garden Street to North Avenue are prohibited.
• Burling Lane between North Avenue and May Street is still closed to traffic.
• Two lanes remain open to traffic on Station Plaza North and motorists can continue to turn left or right onto North Avenue.
• Pedestrian/bicycle traffic can continue to use the walkway over I-95 connecting Burling Lane and the train station.
• All local businesses are still accessible.

When the project is substantially completed later this year, the new modern bridge will be wider, improve traffic flow on nearby roads, and raise its vertical clearance over I-95 to 16 feet 6 inches from the current height of 14 feet 3 inches to enhance safety and reduce the risk of bridge hits. The original North Avenue bridge opened in 1958 and connects North Avenue, Garden Street, Burling Lane, and Station Plaza North.

J. D’Annunzio & Sons, Inc., is the project contractor.

Digital message boards have been placed around the work zone to advise motorists and pedestrians about the project. Physical signs have also been installed in the work zone and in the vicinity to alert motorists and pedestrians about the various detours.

For additional project information, photos and maps, visit the project page on the Thruway Authority’s website.

Motorists are urged to be alert and follow the posted in work zone speed limits. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone.

About the Thruway Authority
The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, built in the early 1950s, is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation. The maintenance and operation of the Thruway system is funded primarily by tolls. The Thruway Authority does not receive any dedicated federal, state or local tax dollars and is paid for by those who drive the Thruway, including one-third of drivers from out of state.

In 2024, the Thruway Authority processed more than 400 million transactions and motorists drove 8.2 billion miles on the Thruway. The Authority’s approved 2025 Budget invests a total of $477.3 million in dedicated funding for capital projects across the Thruway system beginning in 2025, an increase of more than $33 million compared to the approved 2024 budget. The increased investment will lead to work on approximately 61 percent of the Thruway’s more than 2,800 pavement lane miles as well as the replacement or rehabilitation of 20 percent of the Thruway’s 817 bridges.

The Thruway is one of the safest roadways in the country with a fatality rate far below the nationwide index, and toll rates are among the lowest in the country compared to similar toll roads. The Thruway’s base passenger vehicle toll rate is less than $0.05 per mile, compared to the Ohio Turnpike ($0.06 per mile), the New Jersey Turnpike (up to $0.39 per mile) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ($0.16 per mile).

The Thruway Authority’s top priority is the safety of our employees and customers. In 2024, two Thruway Authority employees died and another was seriously injured in separate incidents while working on the Thruway. The lives of Thruway Authority employees, roadway workers and emergency personnel depend on all of those who travel the highway. Motorists should stay alert and pay attention while driving, slow down in work zones and move over when they see a vehicle on the side of the road. The state’s Move Over Law, which was expanded in March 2024, requires drivers to slow down and move over for all vehicles stopped along the roadway. Safety is a shared responsibility.
For more information, follow the Thruway on Facebook, X and Instagram, or visit the Thruway website.

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