Harckham, State and Local Officials Announce Start of $6.5 Million Route 35 Repaving Project in Towns of Lewisboro and Bedford

South Salem, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick announced today that a $6.5 million resurfacing and paving project has started on Route 35 between Katonah and South Salem. 

Joining the two state legislators for the announcement at the Lewisboro Town House in South Salem were Lewisboro Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves, Bedford Town Supervisor Ellen Calves, Westchester County Legislator Erika Pierce and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 8 Deputy Director Nikhil Natarajan. 

To see a video of today’s announcement, click here.

The roadway improvement project will be completed on parts of Route 35 (also known as Cross River Road and Old Post Road) between Route 22 in the Town of Bedford and Mead Street in the Town of Lewisboro, roughly a 5.9 mile stretch. 

“Route 35 through Cross River has been the bane for motorists and commuters for many years now, and getting started on this particular long-awaited paving project is great news,” said Harckham. “I am grateful to Governor Hochul and NYSDOT for prioritizing this project and making these necessary improvements. Ensuring the safety of motorists on our roads needs to remain a priority when it comes to infrastructure investments, and I will continue to fight for funding to help improve the condition of our roadways.” 

“I could not be more pleased that the desperately needed repaving of Route 35 in Katonah and Lewisboro is moving forward,” said Burdick. “It was a team effort to get us to this point, and I could not have collaborated with a better team than Senator Pete Harckham, Lewisboro Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves and County Legislator Erika Pierce. My thanks to NYSDOT Regional Director Lance MacMillan for recognizing the urgency of this project and ensuring that it was prioritized in this year’s paving plan.” 

The work will primarily consist of milling the existing pavement and resurfacing the roadway with asphalt. This overlay to the road surface will extend its service life and improve the quality and safety of the pavement.  Additionally, general drainage and signal improvements will be made where practicable within the scope of this maintenance paving project.

The enacted FY2024-2025 State Budget, with support from Harckham and Burdick, included funding for the Consolidated Local Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) for a total of $598.1 million.

Lewisboro Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves said, “Along with our town residents, I am very happy that the paving of Route 35 from Bedford through Lewisboro will be finally completed this summer. This project has been a priority for me when I was Councilman and now as Supervisor. I am thankful for the partnership and support of our State and County representatives in helping bring this project to fruition. I am also very thankful to NYSDOT Region 8 Director Lance Macmillan and his team, who came to the Town of Lewisboro and met with all of us in August 2022 and listened as we expressed concerns about the condition of the roadway, especially the safety concerns for those traversing Lewisboro in the this heavily travelled east-west thoroughfare.”

Bedford Town Supervisor Ellen Calves said, “Good roads are important for the safety of drivers, bicyclists, and walkers, and they improve our quality of life. I extend thanks to our regional and state partners—Senator Peter Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick, County Legislator Erika Pierce, NYSDOT Regional Director Lance MacMillan and his team, and all the advocates who have driven this effort to repave Route 35 here in Bedford and Lewisboro.”

Westchester County Legislator Erika Pierce said, “Improving the horrible condition of Route 35 was a priority for me when I first entered office in 2022. The issues I then documented, including road and shoulder disrepair and impacts on public safety, bicycle riders, ambulances and school buses, are worse today than when I first gathered testimony to advocate for those needed repairs. I am thrilled that the repavement work is about to start. Thank you to my New York State colleagues for making certain this critical project is getting done.”

The Route 35 repaving project is expected to be completed by August 2024.