Ceremony Starts Another I-287 Construction Project

A new $53 million construction project that will affect a key intersection connecting Harrison, West Harrison and White Plains is officially underway after a ground-breaking ceremony Tuesday morning.

The project is expected to take two years, with anticipated completion in the fall of 2012. Part of the plan is to re-construct Westchester Avenue to bypass White Plains Avenue in the area of exit 8 from Interstate-287.

Westchester Avenue traffic in both directions will bypass White Plains Avenue by way of a grade-separated frontage road that will run parallel to the north and south sides of Interstate-287. Traffic leaving Interstate-287 to White Plains will eventually go under the White Plains Bridge, reducing traffic build-up in that area, according to officials at the ceremony.

The following intersections will be altered during the project:

• Interstate 287 exit 8 and Westchester Avenue
• Westchester Avenue and White Plains Avenue
• Westchester Avenue and Anderson Hill Road

"These are all major intersections—heavily traveled intersections—in White Plains and Harrison," said Stanley Gee, acting commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation. "This is an important project for a critical route across this great county."

The project on Westchester Avenue is the final phase in a 5-part construction project that started in the area several years ago. Two new bridges will be constructed and three existing ones will be replaced. New traffic signals, pavement surfaces and markings, landscaping, signage and new retaining walls are also included in the plan, according to the state department of transportation.

Although Gee said that Interstate-287 will not experience any lane closures during the project, there will be detours to roads crossing the interstate. At least two lanes leaving West Harrison into White Plains are expected to remain open at all times, but traffic entering West Harrison from North Street will be detoured to Anderson Hill Road.

"I have mixed feelings about this," said Harrison Mayor/Supervisor Joan Walsh, who took part in the ceremony. "The end result will be wonderful, the interim two years are going to be a little difficult."

Walsh said earlier this month that the timing at traffic lights in the area will be altered to match the change in traffic flow. But she said Tuesday that, as someone who uses the affected road every day, she is concerned about detours over the next two years. The temporary change in the traffic pattern will likely cause slight traffic buildup near Anderson Hill Road and North Street throughout the duration of the project. 

Officials said they plan to use lane shifts and off-peak lane closures to combat any traffic issues. Work on the roads is also expected to be done at night to avoid rush hour traffic when possible. The construction contract was awarded to Ecco III Enterprises Inc. of Yonkers.

Several local and state representatives including Gee, Walsh, White Plains Mayor Adam Bradley and State Assembyman Robert Castelli spoke in support of the construction from a podium during the ceremony Tuesday.

Bradley said that he sees the construction as a chance to help stores and restaurants in White Plains, as well as eventually improve transportation for residents. "This is a win-win for the city of White Plains," he said.

"In these difficult economic times transportation projects are all the more important not only because they bring jobs building highways and bridges, but also because the transportation system is the foundation of our economy," Gee said.

Gee wouldn't confirm any numbers on the changes in the traffic pattern, saying only that he expects "significant improvement". Walsh said that she has heard encouraging numbers while discussing the final results as well.

"I've been told that the reduction of traffic of the two intersections is going to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 percent," she said. "I look forward to that—I'm tired of waiting in traffic."