Lawmakers renew demand for I-84 crash gate

Emergency responders say measure could cut response times by 10 to 15 minutes

WAWAYANDA — Lawmakers and first responders are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Department of Transportation to fully fund a crash gate on Interstate 84 that could improve access to the busy road and reduce emergency response times.

Crash gates provide secondary, non-public access points to roads that allow first responders to reach an accident without having to travel to the next exit ramp.

The demand for a gate on I-84 comes days after two people were killed in a rollover crash in Wawayanda when a charter bus carrying high school students from Long Island veered off the road and rolled down a 50-foot ravine. A contingent of emergency agencies responded, transporting dozens of injured students to six hospitals, five of whom were in critical condition.

Local officials and State Police have requested a new emergency access point between I-84’s Goshen and Mountain Road exits for more than 20 years, according to a news release from State Sen. James Skoufis. The area covers a 10-plus-mile stretch of the interstate. Currently, responders have to travel several miles east or west of an accident before they can get onto the eastbound or westbound interstate lanes. First responders say adding an access point could cut response times by 10 to 15 minutes, according to the release.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that all of the injured students were expected to recover, according to the superintendent of the Long Island school district the students were from.

Skoufis, Assemblyman Karl Brabenec and Wawayanda Town Supervisor Denise Quinn called for the gate funding at a news conference at the Slate Hill Fire Department in Wawayanda.

Slate Hill Fire District Chief Michael Dally said his department is eager to spotlight the critical nature of their request for this crash gate.

“Last week’s horrific incident has brought attention to this once again, and I hope this time

is different,” Dally said in a statement. “Every minute counts in these situations — not only for

the fire department but for all other incoming emergency services personnel.”

NBC New York/via Associated Press Emergency responders work at the scene of a bus crash in Wawayanda on Thursday. Since the crash, which killed on person and injured dozens, lawmakers and emergency responders have renewed a call for a crash gate that could reduce response times to wrecks on Interstate 84.