The Department of Transportation is urging drivers to avoid Prospect Mountain on their daily commutes. Beginning Wednesday, Exits 4N and 4S in Binghamton will be closed to Interstate 81 southbound traffic for the entirety of the year’s construction season. A detour will send drivers down to the industrial park at Exit 3, and then into Binghamton using Court Street. Also, for the duration of the season, Route 17 eastbound will be down to one lane between the Airport Road and Mygatt Street exits in Binghamton. The construction is all part of a $314 million road project, which is estimated to be complete by December of 2015, and is the largest project in the region. The first phase of the project, which is estimated to cost $135 million, involves replacing six bridges over the Chenango River. New spans for the bridges are being built alongside the current bridges, which are set to be demolished once the new bridges open. The DOT says that most of the heavy lifting bridge work which could really impact traffic, such as pouring concrete and setting steel, won’t be performed during peak drive times.
