The extensive rebuilding of a four-mile stretch of the New York State Thruway that runs through the Seneca Nation's Cattaraugus Territory has been completed, the New York State Thruway Authority said Tuesday.
The stretch of Thruway between Exit 57A at Eden-Angola and Exit 58 at Silver Creek had been so full of potholes that the speed limit was reduced from the usual 65 mph to 55 mph and even 45 mph in spots.
But now that the $20.8 million repair project is finished, motorists can travel 65 mph, the Thruway Authority announced.
The highway had deteriorated for years while the Thruway Authority and the Seneca Nation squabbled over when repairs could be made, casino revenue and land rights.Â
Repairs started last fall and the contractor, Union Concrete and Construction Corp. of West Seneca, had crews working six days a week.Â
People are also reading…
Crews used approximately 125,000 tons of asphalt pavement and more than 20,000 tons of gravel subbase to rebuild the roadway in both directions down to the concrete base. The project also included the replacement of more than 3.75 miles of guide rail, drainage improvements and new roadway striping for enhanced visibility.
