Pile Driving To Start In Saw Mill Parkway Flood Control Project

PLEASANTVILLE, NY — Daytime pile driving on the northbound Saw Mill River Parkway is anticipated to begin the week of Dec. 13 as crews continue making the historic road more resistant to floods.

It's been a year since work started to stabilize a 1.3 mile stretch of the parkway and build two new bridges over the meandering Saw Mill River to meet 100-year flood projections.

The work is part of the Lower Westchester Bridge Bundle, which includes projects in Mount Pleasant/Pleasantville, Mount Vernon/Pelham, and Mamaroneck.

The Saw Mill, like Westchester's other vintage parkways, floods whenever there's heavy rain and can become impassable for days at various places along its length during storms — such as Henri and Ida this fall.

Since it was built in the 1930s, the Pleasantville part of the parkway has experienced significant settlements — of up to 5 feet — due to the consolidation of the soil layer in response to increased loads from traffic and roadway construction. So the project not only includes drainage improvements but also an embankment so that post-construction settlement is limited to 2 inches over a 50-year time frame along the roadway surface.

Construction is being performed in stages to keep the parkway, essential to both commuters and local traffic, open.

"There's always one lane open in each direction," DOT spokeswoman Heather Pillsworth told Patch. "The traffic has now moved to the southbound side so they can work on the northbound side."

All the work is expected to take place in the daytime, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

For additional construction information, please contact outreach@lowerwestchesterbridges.com or 914-527-3193, or visit www.lowerwestchesterbridges.com.

The project should be done by June 2022, weather permitting.

It's been five years since the last major construction work on this section of the Saw Mill: two bridges over the parkway were replaced in Pleasantville in 2016.

Remember, slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s drivers license.