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Cuomo announces suspension of construction-related lane closures for holiday travel weekends

Press Release

Wed, Dec 21st 2016 02:10 pm

Lane closures limited to reduce congestion & ease holiday travel 

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced temporary lane closures associated with road and bridge construction projects on New York state highways will not be permitted from 6 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 23, to 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27, and again from 6 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 30, to 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, in order to accommodate motorists during the busy year-end holiday travel weekends. Some work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers or for emergency repairs.

"We're putting drivers first and taking action to limit delays and inconveniences on our roadways during this busy holiday season," Cuomo said. "We're doing everything in our power to help New Yorkers get where they need to go as quickly and with the least amount of aggravation possible."

Ensuring more lanes remain open is in keeping with Cuomo's "Drivers First" program, which prioritizes the convenience of motorists to minimize traffic congestion and travel delays due to road and bridge work.

During these busy travel weekends, motorists are reminded of New York's critically important "Move Over" law, which requires drivers to use due care, slow down and safely move over when they see flashing lights on the side of the road.

AAA predicts more than 103 million people will travel more than 50 miles from home during the year-end holiday season - the most on record. The vast majority of those travelers - 93.6 million people - will be driving. The year-end travel period runs from Friday, Dec. 23, to Monday, Jan. 2.

This year, the New York State Thruway Authority will continue its 46-year tradition of offering free coffee and hot tea to travelers at all 27 travel plazas along the thruway on New Year's Eve and into New Year's morning to promote safe and alert driving.

There will be slight variations for certain thruway projects based on previous traffic volume. A detailed schedule of thruway lane closures throughout the holiday weekend is available at http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/laneclosures/index.html.

Thruway travelers are encouraged to sign-up for TRANSalerts to receive real-time traffic alerts or follow @ThruwayTraffic on Twitter. Travelers are encouraged to check 511NY by calling 511 or by accessingwww.511ny.org before departing. The free service allows users to check road conditions or link to air and transit information.

Mobile users can download the free 511NY mobile app from the iTunes or Google Play stores. The app now features drive mode, which provides audible alerts along a chosen route while a user is driving, warning him about incidents and construction. Users can set a destination prior to departing and receive information on up to three routes.

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