BUFFALO, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Transportation closed the Route 5 off-ramp to the I-190 north Monday to begin painting the underside of the roadway. By Tuesday morning confusion ensued and later that afternoon the state elected to close the entire off-ramp.
Ahead of Monday's closure, the NYSDOT advised motorists to slow down and drive responsibly in the work zone, follow marked detours, or risk paying fines.
During the Tuesday morning commute, however, many drivers appeared to be unaware or confused by the signage about the closure. This caused numerous vehicles to swerve across traffic to avoid the blocked-off exit.
Video from a traffic camera showed other drivers stopping on the off-ramp, changing course quickly, or shifting into reverse to correct their mistake, attempting to merge back into oncoming traffic.
There were several signs indicating the I-190 north ramp closure along the Skyway heading into Buffalo. The off-ramp splits with one portion exiting at Seneca Street to the left and the other taking drivers right onto the I-190 north, which was the only section originally closed.
In a statement from the NYSDOT, Public Information Specialist Josh Heller, said they were made aware of the issues and would be adding a "ramp closed" sign on the overhead signage before the exit "as soon as possible."
On Tuesday just before 6 p.m., the state changed the closure and added the entire off-ramp, adding Seneca Street to the closure.
The ramp is still expected to be closed for two to three weeks or until the work underneath the roadway is complete according to DOT's updated alert.
The signal timing at Church Street would also be modified to handle the added traffic volume they added.
The project to paint the ramps is set to cost just over $6.3 million. The contract was signed in February and DOT has spent roughly $4.2 million buying supplies and hiring staff. DOT contracted with Atlas Painting and Sheeting.
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