The New York State Thruway Authority is replacing the Meadow Hill Road bridge in Newburgh with a modern structure, closed until Summer 2026. The $7.8M project aims to enhance safety and improve driving experience for the thousands of motorists who use it daily.
New York State Thruway Authority photo
A photo of the bridge set to be replaced.
In early June 2025, the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) announced the upcoming start of a $7.8 million project to replace the Meadow Hill Road bridge over the Thruway and Interstate 87 in the Orange County town of Newburgh, located on the west bank of the Hudson River, south of Albany.
The 72-year-old bridge structure is being supplanted with a modern bridge. The crossing closed to all traffic June 13, 2025, and will remain shuttered until Summer 2026. The new span will be wider and include the addition of a sidewalk. Crews also will build the new bridge to have a higher vertical clearance to enhance safety.
"The Thruway Authority is continually investing its toll dollars back into our 570-mile superhighway network to make sure our roads and bridges meet the needs of the future," said Frank G. Hoare, executive director of the NYSTA. "The replacement of Meadow Hill Road bridge over the Thruway in Orange County will improve the overall travel experience for the thousands of motorists who use it each day."
Demolition of the bridge is planned to occur in July and last about one week, the NYSTA noted, adding that the work will take place at night for the safety of the project's workers and motorists.
With an anticipated service life of 75 years, the new structure will carry an 11-ft-wide travel lane in each direction, a 6-ft.-wide shoulder on the south side, and a shoulder width of 5 ft. with a sidewalk that will be 5-ft.-5 in.-wide on the north side.
New York State Thruway Authority photo
Project crews will improve the driving surface, install new bridge railings and raise the bridge's vertical clearance over I-87 from 14 ft. 3 in. to 16 ft 10 in. at Milepost 60.95 to enhance safety and reduce the chance of bridge hits.
Glenmont, N.Y.'s Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructor Inc. is the contractor replacing the bridge.
Motorists who use the Meadow Hill Road bridge can follow one of two signed detour routes, each using state and local roads.
Variable message signs in the area will advise motorists of the upcoming closure and detours. A temporary traffic signal also will be in place at N.Y. 17K and Fletcher Drive.
Approximately 4,100 vehicles travel the Meadow Hill Road bridge daily.
Thruway Has Long Been Model for Other Systems
New York's Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, built in the early 1950s, is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation and it is through the collection of tolls that the state pays for the maintenance and operation of the roadway.
As the NYSTA does not receive any dedicated federal, state or local tax dollars, its funding comes from those who drive the Thruway, including one-third of motorists from out of state.
In 2024, the Thruway Authority processed more than 400 million transactions and motorists drove 8.2 billion miles on the toll road. NYSTA's approved 2025 Budget has invested a total of $477.3 million in dedicated funding for capital projects across the system, an increase of more than $33 million compared to the approved 2024 budget.
The current investment will end up leading to work on approximately 61 percent of the Thruway's more than 2,800 pavement lane miles as well as the replacement or rehabilitation of 20 percent of its 817 bridges.
Compared to similar toll roads across the United States, the New York Thruway is one of the country's safest roadways with a fatality rate far below the nationwide index; in addition, its toll rates are among the lowest in the country.
But the NYSTA's top priority is the safety of its employees and customers.
Just last year, two Thruway Authority construction employees died and another was seriously injured in separate incidents while working on the highway. The agency said that the lives of its employees, roadway workers and emergency personnel depend on all of those who travel the highway.
"Motorists should stay alert and pay attention while driving," the NYSTA said on its website. "The state's Move Over Law, which was expanded in March 2024, requires drivers to slow down and move over for all vehicles stopped along the roadway. Safety is a shared responsibility."
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