Progress is being made on the Prospect Mountain construction project, with the latest milestone being reached in the form of a Route 17 eastbound bridge being opened Monday night. The first phase of the project is well over half complete and is on schedule to be finished by December of 2015. The $136 million phase of the project will ultimately bring Interstate 81 traffic over six bridges spanning the Chenango River, with the latest bridge opening at nine o’clock last night. The next step is taking down the existing Route 17 eastbound bridge immediately. The Department of Transportation says that in about a month the department will be transitioning westbound traffic on Route 17 onto to the new westbound bridge. The Prospect Mountain project in its entirety, which also calls for reconfiguring the interchange of Route 17 and I-81, is expected to be complete by 2019.
