Silver Creek, N.Y. (WBEN) - After years of neglect and disrepair, the New York State Thruway section that cuts through the Seneca Nation land in southern Erie County is now under reconstruction. The project was made possible following an agreement between the Seneca Nation and New York State that was made public this week and allows Thruway crews to immediately begin repairing the badly damaged lanes.
"This section represents the worst across the state", said Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew Driscoll during a briefing at the Silver Creek exit Thursday morning as crews were already setting up lane restrictions and grinding away the damaged pavement.
The reconstruction project along the three mile stretch represents six lane miles and is expected to take approximately eight to ten weeks and will see a "full deck repleacement" of the highway. The project also includes safety improvements along the highway, including guardrail and new striping.
"We've been preparing for this for a long time....we've moved resources here", said Driscoll as he responded to a WBEN inquiry on how the project could be implemented less than a day after the agreement between the two parties was announced. "This portion of the system is in bad shape and everybody knows that, we know that", said Driscoll.
The project is being completed by a team of about forty NYS Thruway crew workers and between ten and twenty additional engineers and supervisors.