Community Corner

Tarrytown's South Broadway Thruway Entrance Ramp to Re-Open for Two Weeks

"The closure of the ramp may not have been the direct cause of the traffic tie-ups, but we want to do all we can to help travelers get to their destinations safely during the holidays," said Brian Conybeare.

Written by Krista Madsen

State Police stationed at the Troop T barracks alongside the ramp that's been closed with much controversy and congestion, announced Wednesday that workers are now clearing the ramp for a reopening on Thursday. 

However, the ramp will then be open for only two weeks, police said.

Brian Conybeare, spokesperson for the New NY Bridge project, said bridge officials heard the citizen complaints and listened. 

The Thruway was pushed to offer some relief to drivers at least through the holiday season, and it worked. While police are saying two weeks, Conybeare couldn't offer an exact re-closing date, though he noted that the ramp would indeed have to close again for the bridge work to get underway.

In the meantime, traffic engineers could further tweak lights and timing around that area, but Conybeare listed a number of factors that hardly point to the ramp as the lone culprit. 

The traffic trouble all started not when the ramp itself closed on Dec. 5 but when a series of unfortunate events compounded on Friday, Dec. 13. That day saw five accidents on the bridge in addition to the usual uptick in holiday traffic and regular rush hour congestion on a Friday. 

Then on Monday, Dec. 16, George Washington Bridge trouble had I-95 backed up all the way to Connecticut. Traffic engineers, who have been out monitoring the situation, measured 14 percent higher traffic on the Thruway on Monday over the same day last year, which they thought could be attributed to drivers not being able to go over the GW and crossing here instead. 

On the same day, there were two bridge accidents and a car fire. 

Finally, Tuesday, Dec. 3 was a snowstorm. A tractor trailer jackknifed on the bridge just in time for evening rush hour. 

What Mayor Drew Fixell called a "perfect storm" on, ominously perhaps, Friday the 13th, has been happening again and again.

Citizens have been up in arms about the situation, as evidenced here on Patch and Conybeare said officials not only heard their complaints this week but they experienced the situation as well. "We live and work here too."

Here is the full press release from the New NY Bridge Team:

The entrance ramp to the Tappan Zee Bridge (I-87 northbound/I-287 westbound) from South Broadway (Route 9) in Tarrytown will temporarily re-open to traffic for the holiday season, in time for the evening commute on Thursday, Dec. 19.

Referred to as “Ramp E” by the New York State Thruway Authority, the ramp from Route 9 southbound to I-87/I-287 was closed earlier this month to allow Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) to utilize the area surrounding the ramp for construction storage and staging for the New NY Bridge project.

Find out what's happening in Scarsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While the ramp was initially closed on December 5, there were no major backups until Friday December 13.  Since then, motorists in the area have experienced major delays during the evening rush as the result of a combination of events including multiple accidents and a vehicle fire on the Tappan Zee Bridge, snowy weather and emergency repairs on the George Washington Bridge that diverted extra traffic to I-87/I-287. 

Find out what's happening in Scarsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The closure of the ramp may not have been the direct cause of the traffic tie-ups, but we want to do all we can to help travelers get to their destinations safely during the holidays,” said Brian Conybeare, Special Advisor to the Governor for the New NY Bridge Project.  “Accidents and traffic jams like we’ve seen recently are one of the main reasons we need to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge and improve both safety and mobility in the region.”

The ramp has routinely closed for bridge-related maintenance projects. Its complete closure is required for the construction of the New NY Bridge, and to ensure safety for the traveling public and construction workers. It will be shut down again in January, after the busy holiday travel season.

Prior to the start of the New NY Bridge project, the Thruway conducted a comprehensive traffic study to determine the potential impact of closing Ramp E, and earlier this year TZC conducted an additional traffic study to verify its results. Findings from both studies indicated that the closure, by itself, would not have a significant impact on traffic. 

The existing Tappan Zee Bridge has double the average accident rate of the entire 570-mile Thruway system. The high accident rate leads to traffic backups on a regular basis because there are no shoulders or emergency breakdown lanes. The New NY Bridge will have eight general traffic lanes as well as breakdown lanes, emergency vehicle lanes and dedicated express bus lanes to reduce traffic and increase driver safety.


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