Photo: Courtesy Wikipedia

For many Down Staters, Long Islanders and Jerseyites, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko Twin Bridges are a sure sign their journey to paradise is very close by.

For folks we know, driving over the Mohawk River is the official sign to start relaxing, as Schroon Lake is but a mere 90 or so minutes away.

But that trip is gonna be a bit slower from now until the end of October. The New York Department of Transportation is undertaking a major renovation of the north bound bridge. The work began last Friday night and will continue until late October, if all goes to plan.

From the DOT:

The northbound bridge will be CLOSED to traffic each weekend between 10 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday. During this time, traffic will be crossed over to the southbound bridge, with one lane open in each direction. The closures are scheduled to take place each weekend through late October, with the exception of Columbus Day weekend.

Each span carries three northbound and southbound lanes of Interstae I-87 between exits 7 and 8. The same pain plan will be in place next April, when the deck of the south bound bridge is replaced. The bridges were built in 1959 as part of the Northway expansion. The new, improved concrete decks will last “decades”, according to the DOT.

You can read more about the work here.