New York Construction Report staff writer
Construction of an emergency access gate on Interstate 84 in Wawavanda is expected to start this spring.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul this week announced a formal maintenance agreement between the state Department of Transportation and the town has been signed, clearing the way for construction of an access gate this spring, Hochul said.
The State DOT will design and install a new entranceway and access gate at Orange County Route 49 that will provide emergency service vehicles direct access to I-84.
The lack of an emergency access point was highlighted when a charter bus carrying 40 students and four adults from Farmingdale High School on Long Island crashed into a ravine on I-84 in the town of Wawayanda on Sept. 21 last year.
Emergency officials said that if there had been a crash gate along that 10-mile stretch of the interstate highway, their response time could have been reduced by 10 or 15 minutes.
“Since the terrible accident on Interstate 84, I have been laser-focused on working with our local and federal partners to approve the new emergency access gate and keep New Yorkers safe,” Hochul said in a statement. “This access gate will allow police, fire departments and other emergency service providers a faster, more direct way to reach Interstate 84 and save lives.”
