Route 121 Will Definitely Open On Monday: North Salem Supervisor Lucas

NORTH SALEM, NY — There were a few false starts and the length of the project was unexpectedly extended, but it appears that Route 121 will be open for traffic come Monday morning.

North Salem Supervisor Warren Lucas confirmed on Saturday that he was told by the contractor that Route 121 will definitely be open on Monday. He posted the message from the contractor on social media: "We have some miscellaneous work to finish but that will be done with a single lane closure if needed for 1-2 days but the road will be open on Monday morning for sure."

After weeks of delays, the NYS Department of Transportation announced that State Route 121 was expected to close for three weeks, between Cottage Lane and Short Street in the Town of North Salem, beginning Monday, August 1, at 9 a.m. through Sunday, August 21 for bridge work.
Drivers were advised to follow the posted detours using U.S. Highway 202, Star Ridge Road and Bloomer Road as an alternate. Traffic was routed using regular and digital signs at nearby intersections.

A map of this detour can be seen here.

SEE ALSO:

• 3-Week Closure Of State Route 121 In Westchester Will Start Monday
• Big Route 121 Construction Project Delayed, Road Will Not Close Monday
• Route 121 Update: Roadwork Will Pick Up Steam In Coming Days
• Route 121 'Big Dig' Could Create Summer Traffic Chaos In Westchester

Officials originally announced in June that for most of the summer, at least one lane of Route 121 would be closed because the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) will be working on a large cement culvert beneath Route 121 around the southern portion of Peach Lake, specifically at the Pietsch Garden Cooperative at Cottage Ln.

The work was scheduled to take up to four months to complete. During that time, the roadway would have one lane open most of the time. However, there was the recent three-week period when both lanes of Route 121 were closed.

The work was necessary because the beams supporting the current roadway are collapsing. A small metal plate was previously in place to help support the side of the southbound lane.

North Salem officials held a meeting with the DOT and the contractor in June at the 66 June Road facility, along with members of the Croton Falls Fire Department (CFFD), North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the North Salem Police Department (NSPD). Lucas said at the time they were disheartened since the original estimate the DOT gave them called for a two-week complete closure but had since been updated to a three-week complete closure.

The supervisor said at the time that the longer closure would have a greater impact for emergency services and their ability to cover the east side of Peach Lake in the event of a crisis. The CFFD thus requested stepped-up mutual aid coverage from the Brewster Fire Department and the Danbury Fire Department while the road remained closed.

The hamlet of Peach Lake is located in both North Salem (Westchester County) and the town of Southeast (Putnam County).