Replacement of the old East Lincoln Avenue bridge will likely snarl traffic on one of the Village Pelham’s main east-west arteries and in the downtown for months to come.  

The replacement of the bridge is part of a larger project approved by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that will replace an additional three bridges in Westchester County. The East Lincoln Avenue bridge was built in 1929 and renovated in 1944, prompting Cuomo to greenlight a project he said in a statement will help “build a transportation network that meets the demands of the 21st Century.”

Chance Mullen, mayor of the Village of Pelham, said, “We know from past experience that a closure like this is going to bring additional traffic through the village and it will likely be frustrating. We are in regular communication with the DOT, and this project has been designed to ensure as little impact on our community as possible. Pedestrians should be mindful of the increased traffic.”

The New York State Department of Transportation has said the four-bridge project will be finished in the fall of 2022, but could not confirm that the East Lincoln Avenue construction will follow that exact schedule. The DOT would give no comment on the nature of the traffic jams the project might cause.

A temporary bridge is under construction until the permanent replacement is finished. Placement of the temporary bridge was supposed to take the entirety of the weekend of Aug. 21-23, forcing closure of the Hutchinson River Parkway. Favorable conditions, however, allowed the Hutch to be re-open Aug. 22 after one overnight closure.

More information and updates can be found on the Department of Transportation Twitter page: @NYSDOTHV.