Northern State Parkway Closure Postponed

The Department of Transportation announced Thursday afternoon that Friday night's scheduled closure of the Northern State Parkway for repainting of roadway markings has been postponed.

DOT spokesperson Eileen Peters said that the delivery of bridge beams that run about 250 feet in length proposed a logitical challenge to the repainting of roadway markings. She said that the repainting will begin once the beams are delivered. The new date of the road closure has not yet been announced.

Once the beams are delivered, the Northern State Parkway will close for one night, Peters said.

The roadwork is part of a $55.7 million improvement project than began last May to replace the Northern State Parkway overpass, as well as its entrance and exit ramps. The project will also widen Route 110 to lessen congestion on the busy roadway.

A temporary bridge was constructed at the beginning of the project so that the parkway would not need to be closed during construction. However, road markings on the temporary structure have faded due to the high volume of traffic, Peters said. 

Motorists in the area can look forward to relief from constant construction by winter of next year. 2013/14. DOT officials said that the project is running seven months ahead of schedule. 

When complete, the Northern State Parkway Bridge over Route 110 will have been replaced to improve vertical clearance for trucks. It will also accommodate three full travel lanes and shoulders in each direction on Route 110. Included in the project is a continuous sidewalk network, new pedestrian signals with countdown timers, crosswalks, a continuous shoulder lane for bicyclists, new plantings, and bus turnouts for improved, efficient public transportation, will be provided. In addition, drainage systems will be modified to improve the quality of storm water runoff.

A spokesperson for the DOT did not yet have information on the specific hours the Northern State Parkway will be closed Friday evening.