Emergency pothole repairs undertaken on Rockland side of Tappan Zee Bridge

By Michael Riconda

NYACK – Severe ice damage to I-87/287 just north of the Tappan Zee Bridge forced Thruway officials to undertake emergency pothole repairs on Wednesday.

The New York State Thruway Authority scheduled several hours worth of repairs to the stretch of Thruway between exits 9 and 10 for 4 p.m. However, in response to resident concerns about traffic, the repairs were later pushed back to 7 p.m.

In a Thruway Authority press release, motorists were advised the repairs would likely cause significant delays. Drivers were also cautioned to travel with care while heading northbound, where the speed limit had been temporarily reduced to 35 mph.

Though the bridge repairs were limited to the area immediately north of the bridge, motorists also reported flat tires from potholes as far north as exit 11. Subsequent repairs were scheduled between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. with completion expected on February 26.

In spite of the repairs, some of which were so major that small chunks of the road had to be milled and replaced, Thruway officials reported no significant delays due to Wednesday’s roadwork.

Following a succcession of deep freezes and thaws during this particularly icy winter, local roads have taken a serious beating, with potholes cratering streets in many areas of the lower Hudson Valley and the Tri-State area. New York City has already been forced to fill about 106,000 potholes this winter alone.

Ramapo Councilman Daniel Friedman took note of the situation, encouraging resident to tweet photos of potholes to him so he can send them to the town’s Highway Department, or the county. In Valley Cottage, one nasty pothole on Rt. 303 across from a Getty gas station, has caused over a dozen cars to receive a flat tire in the past month, locals told the Rockland County Times.

Potholes are common this time of year, but the drastic temperature shifts in the past week have exacerbated the problem.