New York Advances Paving Rehabilitation, Bronx Expressway Construction Projects

AASHTO Journal, 03 July 2015

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced plans for the New York State Department of Transportation to accelerate two big projects – one for $75 million of additional pavement resurfacing to repair widespread damage from last winter, and another that speeds up rehabilitation of a major expressway in the Bronx.

The paving projects are being accelerated into this construction season to cope with winter’s damage on 428 highway lane miles. They are in addition to more than $437 million in capital construction funds for paving an estimated 2,311 miles in the state’s current 2015-2016 fiscal year.

“It’s important to keep the state’s highways in top shape, and after another harsh winter we’re expediting critical repair projects to ensure the roads are safer for New Yorkers,” Cuomo said in the June 22 announcement. “This funding will speed up much-needed resurfacing and rebuilding efforts, which is good for motorists across the state.”

Separately, Cuomo said earlier in June that NYSDOT will use innovate construction techniques to cut about two years off the projected timeline for work on the Major Deegan Expressway (Interstate 87).

By installing precast concrete deck panels for the expressway’s elevated portion, the state says the $133 million project can be completed in 2017. Cuomo said the shortened timeline “will reduce the inconvenience from construction, while also ensuring that the expressway is safer for decades to come.”

Precast panels allow builders to avoid pouring and curing concrete at the construction site. The announcement also said that “since the panels are manufactured off-site in a controlled environment, the concrete can cure without exposure to weather and vibrations from adjacent traffic, providing a superior product and extending the bridge deck’s lifespan.”

In addition, the process allows engineers to reduce the number of joints, which reduces both chances of leaks and long-term maintenance costs.

Joan McDonald, who was the NYSDOT commissioner through June, said: “The Major Deegan is critically important for commuters and commercial traffic, as well as for motorists traveling to Yankee Stadium, to businesses in the Bronx, and to other destinations within New York City and upstate New York. Under Governor Cuomo’s Drivers First Initiative, we re-evaluated the project and came up with ways to deliver it even more efficiently.”

The special paving work will include removing the worn top pavement layer from all travel lanes and shoulders, repairing base concrete and/or asphalt and installing a new asphalt riding surface.

Wherever practical, pavement that is removed will be recycled and reused, either at the same location or in future construction. Traffic signal vehicle detectors will also be replaced and new pavement markings will be installed as needed.

“By accelerating essential resurfacing projects into this construction year, we are able to mitigate some of the damage caused the severe freeze-thaw cycle that contributed to advanced road deterioration this winter,” McDonald said.

As previously reported, the state Senate recently confirmed Matt Driscoll to be the new NYSDOT commissioner. Driscoll took office as the agency’s CEO on July 2.

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