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Stretch Of Hutch To Be Closed For 96 Hours For Accelerated Bridge Deck Replacement

PELHAM MANOR, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A stretch of the Hutchinson River Parkway will be closed down for four straight days beginning Tuesday morning as part of a fast-tracked bridge deck replacement project.

Drivers can expect headaches starting at 5 a.m. on Tuesday so the bridge over Boston Post Road in Pelham Manor can be upgraded.

As WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported, prefabricated deck panels and fast-drying concrete that can be ready for traffic in hours rather than weeks are at the heart of the project.

Stretch Of Hutch To Be Closed For 96 Hours For Accelerated Bridge Deck Replacement

The detour takes traffic off the Hutch at Route 1, across Boston Post Road and then back onto the parkway. The parkway typically handles 83,000 cars a day, Murnane reported.

Hutchinson River Parkway detour in Pelham Manor
Hutchinson River Parkway detour in Pelham Manor begins Tuesday, August 6, 2013. (credit: Paul Murnane/WCBS 880)

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said nothing is sacrificed for speed.

"The innovative techniques allow us to get this work done in 96 hours without compromising safety or quality at all," McDonald said Monday. "It's not going to be pretty but if we had to pick a time, August is the time to do it: Vacation, school hasn't started."

Crews will work around the clock for 96 hours to complete the $1.5 million construction project. Work is scheduled to wrap up on Saturday, according to the DOT.

Since the spring, tens of thousands of postcards have gone out to area homes alerting them of the temporary road closure and detour.

The state has also reached out to 40 businesses with the word that for four days, the Hutch will be closed for the accelerated repairs.

The bridge is one of 13 structures being rehabilitated in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties as part of a $28 million NY Works contract.

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