NYSDOT’s three-year, $148 million Patroon Island Bridge project rehabilitated a 45-year-old heavily traveled bridge carrying Interstate 90 over the Hudson River between the cities of Albany and Rensselaer. The challenge was to tackle this project — which involved rehabilitating the 1,797-foot-long bridge and eight ramps comprising the I-90 interchange with I-787 at the Albany end of the bridge — while minimally disrupting 70,000 daily commuters (84,000 use the interchange). To combat these challenges, most work occurred at night, with all vehicles crossing over to one side of the bridge using a moveable zipper barrier that returned traffic to normal configuration for the morning commute. Financial incentives were offered to the contractor for hitting lane and ramp reopening goals. NYSDOT did not close any lanes during major holiday weekends and sped up construction through the use of pre-cast concrete deck panels. The end result was a safer, more efficient bridge with minimal impact to commuters. 
America's Transportation Awards 