NY Thruway's northbound rest stop in Sloatsburg closes Sept. 5. New eateries on the way

Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·2 min read
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SLOATSBURG − The Sloatsburg rest stop, located between Exits 15A and 16 on the northbound side of the New York State Thruway, closes for renovations Tuesday, just after the Labor Day holiday.

It’s part of a systemwide overhaul of rest areas.

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Eateries at the northbound site, including Sbarro, Burger King and Auntie Anne's, had already shuttered. The convenience store will also be closed starting Sept. 5.

The Sloatsburg travel plaza on the northbound New York State Thruway between Exits 15A and 16, seen Sept. 1, 2023, closes on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023 for renovations. New eateries are coming to the site.
The Sloatsburg travel plaza on the northbound New York State Thruway between Exits 15A and 16, seen Sept. 1, 2023, closes on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023 for renovations. New eateries are coming to the site.

The Sunoco fuel station will remain open and accessible. There will be no restrooms available.

What's coming

For the Sloatsburg Travel Plaza on the northbound side, a Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack, Panda Express, Dunkin’, and Starbucks are planned, as well as an Applegreen C-Store.

The decision to include Chik-fil-A as a vendor at this and other travel plazas was considered controversial: The restaurant has been in the hot seat for a history of contributing to anti-LGBTQ+ causes. And, it’s not open on Sundays, often a heavy holiday travel day for the highway system.

The Sloatsburg site is expected to reopen in the second quarter of 2024, according to Thruway officials. Signs posted at the travel plaza peg the reopening for summer 2024.

The Sloatsburg travel plaza off the New York State Thruway northbound between Exits 15A and 16 closes Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023 for an overhaul. The first floor contains food service and the upper floor has restrooms and a conference center.
The Sloatsburg travel plaza off the New York State Thruway northbound between Exits 15A and 16 closes Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023 for an overhaul. The first floor contains food service and the upper floor has restrooms and a conference center.

Meanwhile, the Ramapo Thruway stop on the southbound side of the Thruway between Exits 16 and 15A was closed in January for a complete rebuild. A steel frame for the future plaza structure can be seen from the Thruway. It's also expected to open in the second quarter of 2024.

For Ramapo Travel Plaza on the southbound side, a Panera Bread, Panda Express, Shake Shack and Starbucks drive-thru are planned, as well as an Applegreen C-Store.

A Sunoco fuel station is open at the Ramapo site. No restrooms are at the site.

Systemwide overhaul

The overhaul of rest stops along the 570-mile highway system includes a rebuild of 23 of the 27 service area restaurant buildings, with renovations and upgrades to the remaining four.

Rest stop overhaul: Chick-fil-A opens first Westchester location at Ardsley Thruway stop

Thruway Authority, Empire State Thruway Partners — a consortium of investors that has since been acquired by Applegreen — will spend about $450 million in improvements over the course of a three-decade-long contract.

In exchange, Applegreen gets to operate the restaurants, shops and facilities at the plazas through 2053.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Thruway northbound Sloatsburg stop closes for renovations