Public

Thruway Contractor Finishes More New York Metro Area Roadway Restoration

Posted on

On Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) announced the substantial completion of an $18.4-million New York Thruway Authority pavement improvement project on I-87 in Rockland County. Workers upgraded more than 30 lane miles within a busy five-mile corridor running from north of Exit 14A (New Jersey-Garden State Parkway) to south of Exit 15 in the town of Ramapo, New Jersey.

The contractor, JRCRUZ Corporation, repaired stressed areas of roadway and installed a two-inch asphalt overlay on the lanes and the Exit 14B ramps. “Safety enhancements include new guide rail, bridge joint work, reflective line striping and replacing lane delineators.”

The announcement notes that since 2022, the entire Thruway segment between the Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge and Exit 16 —  30 miles of roadway in each direction and nearly 200 total lane miles, many interchanges included — has been repaved. A nearby 2.4-mile segment of the Garden State Parkway Connector was repaved in 2022. A $36.6-million pavement improvement project between Exits 16 and 17 started in the spring and is ongoing.

USDOT Awards $125 Million In Grants For Study And Construction Of Wildlife Crossings

Posted on

On Friday, USDOT announced that $125 million in grants were awarded to 16 projects in 16 states through the agency’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, which was created by the IIJA. The funding will cover construction of wildlife crossings and studies of potential projects and existing systems. The news release summarizes several of the projects that received grants.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated, “Too many Americans are injured or killed each year in crashes involving cars and wildlife, especially in rural areas — which is why our Department created the first-ever program dedicated to crossings that make roads and highways safer for both humans and wildlife.” More than 1 million vehicle collisions involving wildlife are estimated to occur each year, with direct and indirect costs totaling over $10 billion in economic value, according to USDOT.

A KGW video report covers the award of $33 million grant to Oregon DOT for construction of an I-5 wildlife crossing.

New York State DOT received a $324,000 grant to conduct a study of wildlife-vehicle collisions and ways to improve habitat connectivity. Governor Kathy Hochul (D) recently vetoed legislation that would have required NYSDOT to identify the most hazardous spots for wildlife collisions and develop a mitigation plan.

CFX Makes First SR 429 Flex Lanes Segment Operational

Posted on

OrangeObserver.com reports, last Monday, December 16, the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) declared its newest flex lanes operational on a stretch of SR 429 (the Daniel Webster Western Beltway). The section now active runs from Tilden Road to the Florida’s Turnpike junction. By early-to-mid 2025, the entire facility, covering the 13 miles from Tilden Road to the SR 414 junction, will be open for use. The lanes have 26 gantries for the display of directional and speed limit digital signs, and their use is controlled from a regional traffic management center. The Florida Highway Patrol will police motorists’ use of lanes.

The flex lanes are located on the left shoulders of the tollway in each direction. For the time being, CFX will temporarily open them to traffic when an incident makes one or more adjacent lanes unavailable. They can also be used to expedite evacuations during a climate emergency. Eventually, CFX can use the flex lanes to increase peak-period traffic flow, something that isn’t immediately contemplated because of SR 429’s recent widening. CFX opened its first flex lanes on SR 417 (the Central Florida GreeneWay) in the fall.

CFX spokesperson Brian Hutchings notes that a unique aspect of the SR 429 flex lanes is that they were incorporated into the design of the tollway widening project instead of being a retrofit.

Florida DOT Recaps 2024 Accomplishments

Posted on

Florida Politics spotlights a year-in-review news release from Florida DOT. The department counts emergency response among its most notable accomplishments, given the state’s successive impacts from Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton over three consecutive months in the summer and fall. “FDOT officials said the agency’s handling of the emergency, from keeping roads open for mass evacuations to clearing roads after the storm so relief crews could access affected areas, was key to minimizing injuries and restoring power to countless residents and businesses.” Among dozens of other programs, FDOT highlights the estimated $247 million in toll credits it has so far allocated in the second year of the state’s Toll Relief Program and the progress it has made in mounting congestion relief projects ahead of schedule through the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative.

Sanibel Causeway Restoration Reaches New Milestones

Posted on

Crews have once again rerouted traffic onto the new, permanent lanes of Florida’s Sanibel Island Causeway, another milestone in the facility’s reconstruction, according to News-Press. The causeway and its islands are still undergoing restoration after being severely damaged in 2022’s Hurricane Ian. The article provides a detailed account of the ongoing work and pending lane shifts. It also notes that restoration was hampered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton this year, “but the project remains on course to be completely finished in 2027.”

WFTX also covers this story.