Skyway in line for major repairs

Despite a grassroots push to tear it down, the New York State Department of Transportation is pouring money into a major rehabilitation project designed to extend the life of the Skyway.

The DOT announced Friday the one-mile elevated roadway will undergo structural steel and bridge repairs over the next several years.

The work will be done in three phases and include the following to ensure safety:

• 1,400 feet of netting will be installed wrapping the bridge fascia and transverse bridge joints at Canalside.
• Work to repair the bridge fascia along the entire length of the Skyway will be put out to bid in the spring.
• Work to repair the bridge deck will be put out to bid in the winter of 2017.

The state says an environmental impact statement will take place simultaneously to review possible long-term changes for the elevated bridge.

"The EIS will specifically address mobility, environmental, cultural and economic impacts, as well as any necessary mitigation actions, associated with both the removal or replacement of the Skyway," the DOT said in a statement.

More than 40,000 vehicles travel over the Skyway everyday.