Plan for I-84 crash gate, highlighted by charter bus crash, OK'd by Highway Administration

The Federal Highway Administration has approved a long-delayed state proposal to build a crash gate for emergency vehicle access on Interstate 84 between the Goshen and Mountain Road exits.

The lack of a crash gate in that section of I-84 was most recently highlighted by a Sept. 21 crash in which a charter bus carrying 40 high school students and four adults from the Farmingdale school district on Long Island crashed into a ravine in the town of Wawayanda.

Two adults died in the crash and 40 students were hurt, five of them critically.

State Senator James Skoufis, Assemblyman Karl Brabenec and Wawayanda Supervisor Denise Quinn jointly announced the FHA approval had been granted on Wednesday.

The FHA's approval was the last step needed before construction could proceed. Valerie Best, a spokeswoman for Skoufis, said the project now can be assigned to a state Department of Transportation contractor.

Because there was no crash gate in that section of I-84, fire trucks from the Slate Hill Fire District in Wawayanda had to travel four miles from their firehouse to gain access to the interstate. Ambulances and others responding also had to travel out of their way to get to the crash scene.

Slate Hill Fire Chief Michael Dally said at the time that a crash gate between the Goshen and Mountain Road exits on I-84 could have reduced their response time by at least five to 10 minutes.

"After decades of talk, I am absolutely thrilled that there is finally action on this critical project," Brabenec said in a statement. "This new emergency access point for I-84 will certainly improve response time and will ultimately save lives."