Thruway Authority

Capital Improvements: Smart, Strategic and Timely

The New York Thruway has a widely-known reputation for safety and reliability. The hundreds of millions of dollars in annual capital investments that we make in our system each year are funded entirely by toll revenues. We are focused on spending every one of those dollars wisely and making repairs, improvements and changes where and when they are most needed.

The Thruway system was built in the 1950s, and our aging infrastructure was not designed to accommodate today's traffic demands. While visible pavement conditions may be appear to be good in many areas, to date  just 10 percent of the original Thruway pavement has been fully reconstructed and eight of every ten Thruway bridges are nearing the end of their useful service life.

Heavy truck traffic, intense and frequent weather systems, and severe winter weather including numerous freeze-thaw cycles all result in roadway deterioration, which in turn necessitates extensive and costly repairs to roads and bridges to keep them safe and in good condition.

To help the Thruway balance the needs of its extensive interstate highway and bridge network, we have developed an innovative and comprehensive asset management program.  This program enables us to utilize extensive data about pavement and bridge conditions, accident profiles, frequent flooding zones, historical capital investments, and other important elements of our 570-mile superhighway system to prioritize capital projects and determine the most cost-effective and efficient ways to complete those projects.

We use highly sophisticated analytical methods and mathematical models that consider factors such as traffic volume trends, location, construction history and design along with extensive data on current conditions to identify and shape priority projects -- and to predict when maintenance, rehabilitation or other construction will be needed at locations throughout the Thruway system.

The Thruway Authority invests hundreds of millions of dollars in capital projects each year, including:

• Roadway and interchange reconstruction
• Pavement resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation
• Bridge replacement and rehabilitation
• Safety upgrades and improvements
• Highway speed E-ZPass and other advanced toll technology
• Noise wall construction
• Rock slope stabilization and removal
• Toll plaza and toll barrier improvements
• Service area upgrades and improvements

All of our capital projects are closely monitored to ensure that they remain on schedule and on budget.  As we continue to make capital improvements throughout our system, we are committed to maintaining the high level of safety and reliability that our customers have come to expect from us.

For detailed technical information regarding our asset management program, view our Current Infrastructure Information section.

 

Our System