As construction season draws closer, the New York State Department of Transportation has announced a project to replace bridges that carry Interstate 490 in the town of Perinton.

The $60.8 million project will replace the bridges over the Erie Canal and Kreag Road. The aging bridges were built in the 1950s and have reached the end of their service life, according to the DOT.

DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez says the new bridges will enhance safety and resiliency along the vital route that connects the city of Rochester with the New York State Thruway. According to Dominguez, the project calls for the original, three-span bridges to be replaced with modern, single-span, integral abutment bridges that will not require joints, bearings or piers. This will reduce long-term maintenance costs and boost sustainability. A new concrete barrier will be constructed in the median and a new drainage system will be installed. Existing culverts will also be cleaned and repaired, the DOT says.

“The Erie Canal is a crucial part of the fabric of the Finger Lakes region, tying unique communities together through a 200-year history that transcends generations,” Dominguez said. “This bridge replacement project over the Canal ensures the preservation of a vital gateway to the city of Rochester, laying a solid foundation for future generations of Finger Lakes residents and the communities they call home.”  

During the project, I-490 will be reduced to one lane in the construction area. The DOT will be implementing a zipper merge, also known as a late merge, instead of a traditional merge point in an effort to avoid significant traffic delays.

"We understand the traveling public is used to merging when they start to see signs for a work zone and that a lane is closed," said Chris Reeve, regional director for the NYSDOT. "How a zipper merge is different is we want vehicles to use both lanes. It's OK to use both lanes right up to the merge point and then join into one lane. It's not a left lane merging into a right lane, it's two lanes merging into one lane at a specific point."

Construction will begin on the eastbound lanes on April 1. Construction on the westbound bridges will take place in 2026.