Michels Construction, which is headquartered in Brownsville, Wisconsin, and has an office in White Plains, has been awarded a $34.4 million state contract for work on the east end of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge. According to the New York State Bridge Authority, the work will start this fall and continue through the summer of 2027.
The suspension bridge carries US 44 and NY 55 across the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie and Highland.
“This project is a strong example of how the New York State Bridge Authority reinvests toll dollars to maintain our infrastructure in exceptional condition,” said the authority’s Executive Director Minosca Alcantara. “The rehabilitation of the east approach complements the paving work completed on the bridge and the west approach in 2023. As we approach the Mid-Hudson Bridge’s 100th anniversary in 2030, we take pride in the ongoing care and investment that ensure this vital connection remains safe, dependable, and well-maintained for the thousands of people who rely on it every day.”
The work will include filling viaduct sections with lightweight concrete to enhance structural support, installing new precast deck systems on five approach spans to provide a smoother driving surface, utilizing a Class “A” containment system for lead abatement, as well as repainting the arch bridge over Metro-North Rail Road tracks to preserve the structural steel.
The project area is located on the east side of the bridge, between the middle of the Route 9 on/off ramps and the former “toll house” on the Poughkeepsie side. This section of the approach consists of five mini-spans crossing over local roadways and railroad tracks, as well as viaducts and anchorages that support the suspension cables.
Most of the work scheduled for this year will take place beneath the bridge deck, with no changes to existing traffic patterns. Any surface-level work will be conducted during off-peak hours, with at least one lane open in each direction. The authority said that alternating lanes and nighttime detours may be used at certain times.
Opened on August 25, 1930, the “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge is the second-oldest of the Bridge Authority’s vehicular spans. In addition to the Mid-Hudson Bridge, the authority operates the Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Kingston-Rhinecliff and Rip Van Winkle bridges over the Hudson River. It also owns and maintains the structure of the pedestrian bridge Walkway Over the Hudson.
