After months of construction, detours and traffic headaches, the Route 59 bridge over South Pascack Road in Spring Valley officially reopened to traffic early Tuesday morning, ahead of schedule.
NYSDOT crews cleared construction equipment and barriers from the roadway early Tuesday, restoring traffic on Route 59 between New Clarkstown Road and South Central Avenue shortly after 5:00 a.m.
In a fitting start to the long-awaited reopening, the first vehicle to cross the newly reopened bridge was a Rockland Hatzolah ambulance, which passed through at approximately 5:20 a.m. while returning from a hospital transport.
The major bridge replacement project began in early June, forcing the closure of the busy stretch of Route 59 and sending thousands of motorists onto surrounding roads and detours. The closure had originally been expected to continue through the end of the summer.
However, construction crews were able to expedite the schedule, allowing NYSDOT to safely reopen the bridge weeks earlier than initially anticipated.
The project was closely followed by local and state officials, including State Senator Bill Weber, Assemblyman Aron Wieder and Spring Valley Deputy Mayor Yisroel Eisenbach, as residents and businesses dealt with months of significant traffic disruptions.
Eisenbach remained in communication with project officials throughout construction and repeatedly provided updates as the project moved toward completion.
NYSDOT Region 8 Director Julianne Fuda announced Monday that the roadway would reopen at 5:00 a.m. Tuesday, saying crews had been able to accelerate the project timeline while safely completing the bridge replacement.
While the roadway is now reopened to traffic, the project is not entirely finished. NYSDOT says on-site work will continue in the coming weeks, and motorists should expect periodic lane closures while crews finish the remaining work.
The reopening restores one of Spring Valley’s busiest and most critical traffic arteries and brings an end to the major detours that affected residents, commuters and local businesses throughout the summer.
