Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson (D-Newburgh) is calling upon the New York State Department of Transportation to address the long-standing bottleneck at the 9D entrance onto the Newburgh-Beacon bridge just north of the City of Beacon.

Currently, only one of the three northbound lanes of 9D turns onto the bridge. Jacobson proposes converting the middle northbound lane into a second left-turn only lane feeding traffic onto the bridge. This would be similar to the existing two lanes on to the ramp to the bridge on the Newburgh side.

Increasingly, 9D north is gridlocked by westbound commuters waiting to enter I-84. During morning and evening rush hours, northbound traffic on 9D is commonly backed up to Verplanck Avenue. In the evening, especially after a train arrives, traffic is sometimes backed up to Beacon’s Main Street and beyond.

Jacobson has spoken to local Department of Transportation officials about the problem.  Additionally, this past Wednesday, Jacobson expressed his displeasure with the situation to the Department of Transportation Commissioner at a Joint Legislative Budget Hearing of the Transportation Committee, of which he is a member.

“As more and more area residents commute from the Beacon Metro North Train station, it’s critical that this situation be addressed,” said Jacobson.