Westchester County drivers faced significant delays Monday as a portion of the Saw Mill River Parkway was closed due to a large sinkhole, likely spawned from the weekend's harsh weather conditions. According to CBS New York, the southbound lanes between Lawrence Street in Dobbs Ferry and Farragut Avenue in Hastings-on-Hudson were shut down, affecting an estimated 47,000 vehicles that traverse the route daily.
Local resident Tommy McMullen described a near-cinematic episode, saying to CBS New York during an interview, "Me and my pal Peyton were coming around the block, and I saw this lady hit the hole here, or the bump, you might call it, and she was actually airborne for about 30 feet - no exaggeration - in the air." The New York State Department of Transportation has not officially labeled the incident as a sinkhole, instead referring to it as "weather-related damage." The agency has expedited repair efforts, working to reopen the southbound lanes as swiftly as possible.
Alternate routes have been suggested to mitigate some of the traffic congestion that has resulted. As traffic is detoured onto Saw Mill River Road 9A, drivers can also take the New York State Thruway to the Major Deegan Expressway. Both the Dobbs Ferry Fire Department and officials from Hastings-on-Hudson urged drivers via social media to allocate extra time for their travels and to avoid the affected area if possible.
A post on Hastings-on-Hudson's Facebook page, which was echoed by Fox 5 New York, noted, "All Southbound lanes are closed from Farragut Parkway (Exit 12) to Lawrence Street. Northbound Lanes of the Saw Mill River Parkway are open." According to reports, the southbound lanes were expected to be accessible again by evening. Though the DOT has not specified a precise timeline for the completion of repairs, its crews have been mobilized promptly to address the damage.
Reactions from the public ranged from shock to frustration, with one driver lamenting the unexpected chaos and another stating that a journey which usually takes 30 minutes stretched out to over an hour, or 90 minutes.
