Three months after a motorcoach crashed on Interstate 84 in Wawayanda, killing two people and injuring many more, the Federal Highway Administration approved a long-stalled state plan to construct an emergency crash gate on the roadway, state legislators announced Wednesday.

First responders in Orange County have called for more than 20 years for the installation of an emergency access point between the Goshen and Mountain Road exits — a more than a 10-mile stretch of the interstate that state officials say prevents timely emergency responses.

On September 21, a charter bus carrying 40 Nassau County high school students and four adults rolled into a ravine along the stretch of highway, killing the high school's band director, Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, and a retired teacher, Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, and injuring dozens of students.

A faulty front tire likely contributed to the crash, officials said.

Days after the accident, federal and state officials and firefighters urged the Federal Highway Administration for help in building an emergency vehicles-only access road in the section of I-84 to improve safety and accommodate emergency responders.

Slate Hill Fire Department Chief Michael Dally said about 35 major crashes happen on the part of I-84 that the department covers each year, the department responded to three fatal incidents this past summer alone.

FHA approval is a critical step in the effort, according to a joint statement issued Wednesday by state Senator James Skoufis, Assemblyman Karl Brabenec and Wawayanda Supervisor Denise Quinn.

“First responders have long argued that a new crash gate on I-84 could cut emergency response time by 10-15 minutes,” Skoufis said.

“This new emergency access point for I-84 will certainly improve response time and will ultimately save lives," Brabenec said.