DUNKIRK, N.Y. — In June, a $45 million pavement revitalization project commenced on the New York State Thruway (I-90) in Chautauqua County to address much-needed repairs.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on June 10 that the project, which will span a year and a half, will focus on pavement rehabilitation with full and partial depth repairs to nearly 35 miles of the Thruway system, along with vertical clearance improvements for bridges in 16 locations to prevent future bridge hits.
According to the governor's office, more than 7.8 million vehicles travel between exit 59 (Dunkirk-Fredonia-NY Route 60) and exit 60 (Westfield-Mayville-NY Route 394) on the Thruway annually.
With construction now officially underway, motorists traveling on the I-90 Westbound have experienced unusual delays at various times throughout the day.
George Borrello, who represents the New York State Senate's 57th District, travels a part of this section of the NYS Thruway almost daily.
"I live right off of exit 58, and I often travel from exit 58 to 59. It's about a 10 or 11-minute trip," Borrello said.
According to the Thruway Authority, there are 12.2 miles between the first two westbound Chautauqua County exits.
"I was on there yesterday, it took me almost an hour to go that short distance, and then the last 3.5 miles before getting to the Fredonia exit (today), going westbound, took me 45 minutes," he said.
The state senator also expressed additional safety concerns that have come with the project.
"I was there at 5:45 this morning and there was no traffic signs, there's no lights, there's no arrows, to guide you to the lane closure. It's quite ... I guess for lack of a better term amateurish."
He continued, "It's not just about posting a trooper with the lights on, you need to have the proper warnings, the proper signage, and certainly the proper lighting," Borrello said.
Oakgrove Construction, Inc. from Elma was selected as the project contractor, according to the Governor's Office.
On the NYS Thruway Authority website under the "Contract Documents" section, Page Five of Contract No. D214968, Amendment 01 states that "The portable variable message signs shall be located per the plans and as deemed necessary by the engineer and the NYSTA Division Traffic Supervisor."
More specifically, under the Portable Variable Message Sign Notes section of the document, it states that "variable message signs shall be placed where they are visible to traffic from at least 2,800 feet away both day and night."
The Work Zone Traffic Control map shows that signage for the construction should begin roughly three to four miles out from the westbound Silver Creek Exit Milepost.
On Thursday, Senator Borrello posted a statement to social media saying "NYS Thruway Authority has reconfigured the lane closure on westbound Thruway by Exit 58."
2 On Your Side has spoken with the Thruway Authority and received this statement regarding the matter:
"The Thruway Authority is investing $45 million to modernize and make critical safety improvements along this stretch of I-90. The work is part of more than $133 million in projects ongoing in the Thruway's Buffalo Division right now. The Authority is committed to ensuring the safety of both motorists and workers in construction zones and will continue to monitor compliance for the project.”
