New York Construction Report staff writer
New York State Thruway Authority has been selected for a $21 million federal grant for restoration of the Castleton-on-Hudson Bridge on the New York State Thruway (I-90) Berkshire Spur.
“When bridges have to close for repairs — or worse, begin to fail — it can cut off access to an entire community, adding hours to commutes, costing money for local businesses, and delaying first responders from getting to an emergency,” said United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The grant awards we’re announcing today are helping communities of all sizes modernize their bridges so that school buses, delivery trucks, ambulances, and commuters can get where they need to go quickly and safely.”
The Castleton-on-Hudson Bridge, more commonly referred to as the Castleton Bridge, opened to traffic in 1958 and spans approximately one mile in length, connecting the Berkshire Spur section to the Thruway’s mainline. Approximately 6.2 million vehicles per year or 17,000 per day travel over the bridge that connects Albany and Rensselaer counties over the Hudson River. The Castleton Bridge is 65 years old and requires a significant capital investment to continue to maintain it for decades to come.
A $47.6 million project on the Castleton Bridge began in 2021 which includes the deck replacement of the westbound travel lanes, repairs to the deck on the eastbound travel lanes, replacement of the center median and bridge steel repairs.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. This project is the first major rehabilitation to the driving surface of the Castleton Bridge since 2009. The massive steel trusses were repainted in 2016 and routine maintenance was regularly performed by Thruway Maintenance crews to prolong the lifespan of the driving surface.
The project to replace the eastbound bridge deck is anticipated to cost approximately $44 million and the $21 million grant will be directly applied to offset that cost. It’s anticipated to begin in spring 2024.
