NORTH TONAWANDA —
Motorists might be happy to know that work on the south Grand Island bridges will be suspended over the Fourth of July weekend, but that was likely of little consolation to drivers who’ve been stuck in traffic lately.
Construction work on the bridges has resulted in lane closures that have created a bottleneck with several lanes of traffic merging after the toll barriers into one lane across the south bridges.
The New York State Thruway Authority, the agency overseeing the construction project, seems to have little sympathy for any backups that may occur as a result.
“This is a heavy travel season all across the state,” Thruway Authority spokesman R.W. Groneman said Monday. “These are necessary repairs that have to go forward.”
The Thruway Authority’s Web site indicates that the traffic impact during the construction will be “minimal,” meaning that traffic will move at the posted speed limit, in this case 45 mph. That, however, wasn’t the case early Monday afternoon.
Traffic on the I-190 northbound just before the tolls was already backed up for several miles at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, and the backups only worsened in time for the rush hour drive home.
Motorists, however, will catch a bit of a break later this week. Contractors will suspend all construction on the northbound and southbound bridges from 6 a.m. Friday to 9 p.m. July 6 for the Fourth of July weekend, the Thruway Authority announced recently.
Drivers should be advised that the northbound south Grand Island bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. Wednesday until 6 a.m. Thursday as contractors continue to replace decking on the bridge.
In addition, the southbound bridge will be reduced to one lane from 10 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday for work on the guardrails near the bridge.
The bridge work has had a slight impact on traffic moving through the City of Tonawanda, according to police Lt. Fredric Foels, a member of the city’s Traffic and Safety Advisory Board.
“We’re seeing volume increases not only in the morning but in the drive time in the evening,” he said, adding that Niagara Street, Seymour and Main streets have been busier than usual.
“I think people are just avoiding the 190/290 altogether and taking city streets,” Foels said.
The $48 million bridge rehabilitation project is part of the Thruway Authority’s $2.1 billion Highway and Bridge Capital Program. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-November.
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