The New York State Thruway Authority’s 27 service areas being redeveloped as part of a $450 million investment plan with Empire State Thruway Partners. Twenty-three of the 27 service area restaurant buildings will be rebuilt, with significant renovations and upgrades to the remaining four.
Empire State Thruway Partners has proposed two phases of construction. Phase one includes 16 service areas with staged reconstruction scheduled to begin in 2021. Phase two includes 11 service areas with renovations scheduled to begin in January 2023:
- Phase 1: July 2021-November 2023
- Service Areas: Indian Castle, Junius Ponds, Chittenango, Ardsley, Iroquois, Clarence, Plattekill, Clifton Springs, New Baltimore, Pembroke, Seneca, Oneida, Pattersonville, Sloatsburg, Scottsville, Ulster
- Phase 2: January 2023-May 2025
- Service Areas: Schuyler, Ontario, Malden, Guilderland, Port Byron, Warners, Ramapo, Angola, Dewitt, Mohawk, Modena
Following concerns raised by the Trucking Association of New York and others the NYS Thruway Authority has now placed port-a-johns at rest area locations that have been closed for renovations. With the exception of the Ardsley location which is only open for fuel, rest areas that are currently undergoing construction remain open for commercial parking and fuel.
The Thruway understands the inconvenience the closed areas pose for travelers and is working to alleviate concerns as best they can. They do ask for everyone’s cooperation in utilizing port-a-johns for only their intended purpose, they have received complaints of the port-a-johns being filled with trash, which only makes an already difficult situation worse.
The issue of safe overnight truck parking, or the lack there of is a major one across the country and has been for some time. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released research on how truck drivers currently use truck parking availability systems, and their perspectives on how truck parking information is distributed.
Leave a Reply