Thruway closure in Rockland County due to fallen power line causes traffic delays

Mike Randall, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·1 min read

The New York State Thruway was a traffic mess for commuters on Wednesday afternoon and evening after power lines fell over the highway, shutting down Interstate 87 for hours in Rockland County.

The highway was closed for more than two hours during the afternoon and backed up traffic for miles into the evening after an electric transmission support line fell into the northbound lanes, according to Orange and Rockland Utilities.

Most of I-87 reopened shortly after 4 p.m., state police said, and by 7 p.m. the Thruway had reopened entirely. O&R planned to complete repairs after the evening traffic eased, and brief lane closures lingered until the issue was fixed by 11:45 p.m.

The NYS Thruway was closed to both directions of traffic around 3:00pm in West Nyack Sept. 7, 2022. A power line running across the highway snapped and dangled over the highway, caught on other wires.
The NYS Thruway was closed to both directions of traffic around 3:00pm in West Nyack Sept. 7, 2022. A power line running across the highway snapped and dangled over the highway, caught on other wires.

The low-hanging high voltage power lines fell over the highway in Clarkstown around 1:40 p.m., just north of the Palisades Center mall, O&R said.

The transmission lines fell about 100 feet over the Thruway, said O&R, which is investigating the cause of the issue.

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The affected section was between West Nyack and Spring Valley, and all traffic was diverted off the highway at those locations for much of the afternoon.

Northbound traffic was getting off at exit 12, by Route 303 and the Palisades Center Drive, while southbound traffic was getting off at exit 14, the exit for Spring Valley, Nanuet and Route 59.

Downed wires closed Interstate 87 in Rockland County on Sept. 7, 2022.
Downed wires closed Interstate 87 in Rockland County on Sept. 7, 2022.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, the Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @MikeRandall845.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New York State Thruway closure in Rockland County backs up traffic