Senator Andrew Lanza Joins NYSDOT in the Announcing a $78 Million Project to Rehabilitate Five Bridges Along I-278 Through Staten Island and Brooklyn

Senator Andrew J. Lanza said, “Rehabilitating these bridge overpasses on the Staten Island Expressway will improve safety for motorists on Staten Island and I look forward to continue working with Governor Cuomo and Acting Commissioner Karas to bring home additional funding for Staten Island's much needed transportation infrastructure.” 

New York State Department of Transportation’s Acting Commissioner Paul A. Karas today announced that work is underway on a $78 million project to rehabilitate five I-278 bridges, including four on the Staten Island Expressway (SIE) and another over the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn.  Project design has started, and construction is slated to begin this fall.  The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. 

“Rehabilitating five I-278 bridges on Staten Island and in Brooklyn is another example of how New York State continues to transform its transportation infrastructure,” said Acting Commissioner Karas. “This project will deliver an improved riding surface and enhanced safety for the many motorists who rely on this corridor, as well as improved safety for pedestrians.” 
The project will rehabilitate the bridges on the Staten Island Expressway over Mosel Avenue and over the Staten Island Railway tracks on both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the main highway and service roads.  It also will improve the 79th Street Bridge over the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn. 

On each bridge, the deck and substructure will be replaced.  Steel will be repaired or replaced, and painted, where necessary.  The steel railings on each bridge will also be replaced with concrete parapets for enhanced safety. Roadway lighting will be replaced within the project limits. New lampposts with energy-efficient LED lighting will be installed, providing enhanced illumination and better lighting uniformity and nighttime visibility.  

In addition, sidewalk improvements will be made to enhance pedestrian safety, including the construction of new sidewalks and ramps compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.  Bridge and highway drains within the project limits will be cleaned and catch basins will be relocated and/or repaired as needed.

Senator Andrew J. Lanza said, “Rehabilitating these bridge overpasses on the Staten Island Expressway will improve safety for motorists on Staten Island and I look forward to continue working with Governor Cuomo and Acting Commissioner Karas to bring home additional funding for Staten Island's much needed transportation infrastructure.” 

Assemblyman Matthew Titone said, “Staten Islanders are living a traffic nightmare, and as we work to solve this it is important to remember that maintaining bridges is as important as building new ones. I am heartened that the Governor is making infrastructure maintenance an integral part of our traffic solution.”

This project complements other recent NYSDOT improvements to the I-278 corridor, including:
·         $200 million invested on the Staten Island Expressway to reconfigure and reconstruct ramps and to extend the bus/high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane, allowing for a 12.5-mile continuous bus/HOV lane between Victory Boulevard on Staten Island and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel.  

·         Two Gowanus Expressway projects totaling $246 million, which wrapped up the deck and pavement replacement on the 5.3-mile elevated highway, widening sections of it, and improving the operations of its HOV lane, including the addition of HOV operations during the evening rush hour.  

·         Nearly $900 million invested to replace the former Kosciuszko Bridge with two new bridges connecting Brooklyn and Queens.  

·         Completion of a $2.5 million project to increase the clearances on three Queens overpasses so that trucks can remain on I-278 without having to detour to local streets between the Long Island Expressway and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.

·         A $204 million project to rehabilitate a half-mile section of the Bruckner Expressway (I-278) and six connecting ramps between East 141st Street and the interchange with the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in the Bronx.

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