Woodbury Transit Hub offers promise of traffic relief
Woodbury. Just in time for the holiday shopping season, the $150 million Woodbury Transit Hub has been completed, offering the promise of traffic relief five years ahead of schedule.
New York /
| 20 Nov 2019 | 05:29
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces the completion of the $150 million Woodbury Transit Hub project Thursday, Nov. 14. (
)
Five years ahead of schedule, the Woodbury Transit Hub has arrived, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the $150 million project’s completion Thursday, Nov. 14, lauding it as a state-of-the-art solution for the region’s traffic problems.
"This world-class transportation hub will provide much-needed relief to Hudson Valley residents who have long endured traffic headaches caused by the interchange at Woodbury Common,” Cuomo said. "Completed five years ahead of schedule, this project is another example of how New York State leads the way when it comes to creating a 21st-century transportation infrastructure that moves our economy forward and improves quality of life for our residents and visitors."
According to the governor’s office, the hub provides improved access to businesses and shopping destinations at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, new park-and-ride capacity, and enhanced pedestrian and public transit facilities.
Solar-powered bus shelters and lighting were among the new features added, and a commuter parking lot was built. In addition, an existing parking lot was reconstructed to give drivers more than 200 new parking spaces.
The project reconfigured the Exit 131 interchange between routes 17 and 32, replaced the Route 32 bridge over Route 17 and reconstructed the ramps accessing the New York State Thruway.
State Sen. James Skoufis said the interchange reconfiguration is something he’s wanted to see happen for a long time.
“The Exit 131 interchange has been a project I've pressed for years to fund and get off the ground, so I'm grateful it was finally able to move forward with the governor's and DOT's essential support,” he said. “While there's still more work to do, like establishing a train station in Woodbury Common, traffic relief has become a reality with the project's substantial completion.”
The Monroe-Woodbury Central School District is one of the beneficiaries of the transit hub’s completion.
As part of the project, a new access road was built solely for local school bus traffic, connecting the district’s high school with the elementary school, and allowing school buses to access more safely many of their routes without ever having to access Nininger Road and Route 32.
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said it was important to get ahead of the area’s increasing traffic.
“I thank the governor and our state officials for addressing this important regional infrastructure issue,” Neuhaus said. “The completion of the Woodbury Transit Hub allows us to continue to market this economically vital corridor for growth as we prepare for the much-anticipated opening of Legoland next year.”
Also included in the new $150 million Road, Transit and Economic Development Hub:
· Diverging Diamond Interchange: Route 17 at Route 32 (Exit 131) was reconfigured into a Diverging Diamond Interchange, which will simplify navigation for motorists and reduce crashes in the corridor. It will allow traffic to make left- and right-hand turns freely, with no opposing traffic, greatly increasing the efficiency of the corridor to handle traffic.
· New Route 32 bridge over Route 17: New twin bridges on Route 32 over Route 17 were constructed at the same elevation to minimize the impact on the traveling public.
· Nininger Road extension: This project separated local traffic from visitor traffic, creating a new bridge that includes an underpass under Route 32 with roundabouts on each end, avoiding the need for a signalized intersection at Route 32 while minimizing the impact on local neighborhoods and businesses.
· Bicycle and pedestrian safety access corridor: The project provided 4,000 feet of new concrete sidewalks.
· Woodbury Common Premium Outlets access: This project constructed a new south entrance-exit to and from Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. This entrance-exit improves access to the mall "ring road" and the parking garage.
· Solar energy generating facility: The project installed a solar photovoltaic energy generating facility, or solar park, at the Harriman exit to offset the electricity used by Thruway maintenance and toll facilities at Harriman, Woodbury, Spring Valley and Nyack.
· Route 32 and Route 17 corridor improvements: The project lowered the profile of Route 17 to meet vertical clearance Interstate standards while also providing sufficient clearance for the new Route 32 bridge over Route 17. In addition, the Route 6 over Route 17 bridge was rehabilitated with new bearings and a new bridge deck while also providing sufficient clearance overhead. Utilities were moved underground, and a new storm water drainage system was constructed.