As residents and towns prepare for detours and traffic as construction on the northbound AMVET bridge is set to begin next month, a New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) spokesperson said the DOT is in the middle of mass mailings to those who will be affected in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties.

The traffic load on the Taconic has steadily increased over the years and what was meant to be a "touring route" is now a major commuter route between Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester counties. 

According to Sue Stepp, NYSDOT Region 8 Spokesperson, the average daily traffic count in the vicinity of the bridge was:

• 31,538 in 2009;
• 32,172 in 2011;
• Those numbers are predicted to increase to 35,538 by 2021 and 
• to 39,256 by 2031.  

Stepp said the increase in traffic can be mostly attributed to "urban sprawl" and the rising cost of housing downstate.

The AMVET bridge on the Taconic State Parkway was built in 1931. It is a 750-foot long steel suspended arch truss with riveted structural steel members. The deck is a cast in place concrete deck with a concrete wearing surface. The approaches are enclosed chambers with concrete beam and column design supporting a cast in place concrete deck with a concrete wearing surface overlay. The bridge sits on top of concrete abutments built on the shores of the New Croton Reservoir.

The top of the bridge is approximately 155 feet above the mean water elevation. The reinforced concrete deck is carried on a substructure of steel floor beams and stringers which are suspended from the arch truss above.

In 1972, a separate structure was built to the west to carry the southbound Taconic State Parkway over the reservoir. The last major rehabilitation was completed in 1989 and the work done included: main span deck replacement, new drainage, new guide rail, new approach overlay, structural steel repairs, stringer bearing replacement, new expansion joints, sidewalk removal, and maintenance cleaning and painting. The main truss of this bridge is was recently painted, according to Stepp.

Stepp said both the Taconic State Parkway and the bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the DOT, the following bridge elements were all flagged as deteriorated to the point of needing repair and all with be repaired or replaced as part of the project:

• Replacement of steel hangers, deck support, concrete deck, and railing
• Repair of concrete on bridge end structures 
• Installation of new guide rail
• Resurfacing of roadway pavement on either end of bridge
• Installation of 31 Bluetooth traffic sensor
• Installation of 7 traffic cameras
• Placement of 29 portable message signs
• Installation of 3 median barrier gates
• On-site tow truck service for morning and afternoon 3-hour peak travel periods
• Construction of 10 emergency pull off areas
• Alternate emergency route signage

During the overhaul of the bridge, the current six lane configuration of the parkway will be reduced to four (two lanes in either direction) for 3.5 miles on the southbound side of the parkway. 

Traveling north, motorists will cross over to the southbound side at Pines Bridge Road. Traffic will be routed back onto the northbound Taconic State Parkway just south of Underhill Road in Yorktown and the ramps are nearly complete as of today and can be viewed from the parkway.

Stepp said the DOT has no way of estimating the delays, but they expect morning peak hours to cause the most delays, while evenings tend to be less congested.

Yorktown supervisor Michael Grace said the town has had a meeting with members of DOT and depending on the traffic load on Routes 134 and 129, Yorktown patrol officers might be assigned to direct traffic. Grace said they're looking into whether or not they could get reimbursed from the state for expenses on the potential traffic patrol.

"We'll just have to learn how to deal with this," Grace said of the upcoming construction project and traffic implications.

New Castle officials are already warning the public to prepare for the construction. Two changes will be made to the Taconic within the town limits, it was announced, include the construction of a temporary ramp along Pinesbridge Road and a south crossover being affected.

Alternate local state routes as listed on the DOT website are:

• Route 131 (Underhill Avenue)
• Route 129 (Old Croton Lake Road)
• Route 100 (Crow Hill Road)
• Route 100 (Saw Mill River Road)
• Route 118 (Saw Mill River Road)
• Route 134 (Kitchawan Road)

Alternate Major Routes:

• Routes 9 and 9A to the west of the project
• Saw Mill River Parkway and Interstate I-684 to the east of the project

The following is a list of the five temporary traffic signals DOT is in the process of installing to help mitigate traffic on neighboring roads. They will be removed when the project is completed:

• Southbound TSP ramp at Route 131 (Underhill Road)
• Route 129 (Croton Lake Road) at Route 131 (Underhill Road)
• Route 129 (Croton Lake Road) at Route 118 (Saw Mill River Road)
• Route 100 (Saw Mill River Road) at Route 134 (Kitchawan Road)
• Northbound TSP at Pines Bridge Road

A total of seven traffic camera will be installed as part of this project and officials are planning to turn then on when the bridge closes to help them monitor the area for delays.

The total cost is about $25.9 million, according to the DOT and the contract was awarded in April 2011.

The DOT is also encouraging people to call 511 or log on to 511ny.org for real-time traffic information during the work. For more information about the project, click here for the DOT website.

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