SALAMANCA, N.Y. — Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. announced that the much-needed repairs to a portion of the Thruway that runs through part of the Seneca's territory will begin.
Armstrong said the Senecas reached an agreement with NYS to begin work to fix a three-mile stretch of I-90 that goes through the Cattaraugus Reservation.
There had been an ongoing dispute between the state of New York and the Seneca Nation.
"When the state engages the nation in in direct respectful dialogue we can make progress on many issues," said Armstrong during a Wednesday morning news conference, where he said the agreement was finalized in just the past few days.
"Now that we have come to an agreement on the Thruway repairs, I hope the state will show the same urgency in prioritizing and addressing the poor condition of other state roadways on our territories that impact the daily lives of our people," Armstrong said.
Wasting No Time
Work on repairing the section of Thruway will begin almost immediately, according to Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll, who said, “we have crews at the ready who will begin work tomorrow to focus on stabilizing and sustaining the roadway for all motorists as we head into the winter months.”
Crews will perform partial-depth repairs to the most severely deteriorated sections of the roadway and to the shoulders to help extend its durability in preparation for the winter months ahead. New line striping will also be applied to enhance visibility, Driscoll said.
According to the Thruway, following this first round of essential repair work, a full reconstruction project will commence and improve the riding surface and safety for all motorists. Crews will perform a full depth replacement to the eastbound and westbound sections between mileposts 452.3 and 455.1 which will include the removal of approximately five inches of the current roadway surface, repairs to the underlying concrete pavement and complete asphalt replacement.
The project is expected to be completed within eight to 10 weeks barring any unforeseen conditions or circumstances, and weather permitting. If the weather makes full completion not possible before winter, it will be resumed and completed as soon as the weather allows in the spring.
For years, the two sides have been at odds over how the road should be repaired. During that time, the road has continued to deteriorate, and the suggested speed for that stretch has been reduced to 45 mph.
Republican Congressman Tom Reed, who represents the Southern Tier, recently called on the FBI to investigate Governor Andrew Cuomo's role in the delay to fix the crumbling road.