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Update 11:18 p.m.: According to Westchester County spokesperson Kieran O'Leary, traffic on the southbound New York State Thruway and the Ashford Avenue bridge has been reopened. O'Leary said traffic on the northbound New York State Thruway is still closed to traffic between Ardsley and Tarrytown because officials are still doing some work underneath the bridge.
"The bridge has been determined to be structurally sound," O'Leary said.
Update 9:40 p.m.: Ardsley Mayor Peter Porcino notified residents in a village-wide email that police have closed down the Ashford Avenue Bridge and parts of the New York State Thruway and the Saw Mill Parkway as a result of concrete falling onto the roadway below. Porcino said the roads would be closed until "the county has been able to address the situation."
Closed to traffic is Interstate 87 (Thruway) northbound at milepost 7.8 at exit 7, and southbound at milepost 11.2 at exit 8A. Motorists familiar with the area may wish to seek alternate routes to avoid delays.
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ARDSLEY, N.Y. A slab of concrete fell from the Ashford Avenue overpass onto multiple cars in the northbound lanes of the the New York State Thruway in Ardsley just before 6 p.m. Friday, state police said.
Initial reports said six cars were hit, though state police were unable to confirm the number. There were no injuries, police said.
The Ashford Avenue Bridge is the worst county-owned bridge in Westchester, County Legislator MaryJane Shimsky said at a meeting in May that discussed the condition of the deteriorating bridge.
At the time, county officials said the bridge was not a danger and said construction was expected to start in March 2015 and would likely be finished by the winter of 2017. The total cost was estimated by county officials at $20.6 million.
On Friday, Ardsley resident Jeff Thatcher saw the commotion, with cars and police vehicles pulled off to the side of the Thruway.
"They're supposed to be doing work on this thing soon," Thatcher said. "It's in rough shape. It needs it."
The bridge was built in 1950 and, as of 1997, carried 20,342 vehicles daily, the Westchester County website says. The county's website says the "bridge now requires rehabilitation or replacement."
A December 2011 inspection revealed that the piers and abutments of the bridge "exhibit areas of failing concrete, areas of spalling on concrete deck," according information from a public information session held in May and compiled on online.
The Ashford Avenue Bridge was rated at 3.653 out of 7 and officials described the bridge as being in "a state of moderate overall deterioration," with girder and bearing deterioration at joint locations.
Check back later for more details.
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