RT 378 TROY MENANDS BRIDGE REPLACEMENT, BIN 1062850 (PEL STUDY)

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 1 is undertaking a Bridge Scoping/Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study, in conjunction with the Capital Region Transportation Council and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), for NYS Route 378 (Troy-Menands Bridge) as approved in the 2019-2024 Capital District Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). 

This structure, built in 1932/1933, crosses the Hudson River and connects the Village of Menands and the Town of Colonie in Albany County to the South Troy neighborhood in the City of Troy in Rensselaer County. The bridge has been repaired under numerous contracts dating back to 2008, with the most recent work completed in 2017 under an emergency contract where various steel stringers and gusset plates were repaired. NYSDOT Region 1 is undertaking this study as it is recognized the bridge will need to be replaced within the foreseeable future (10+/- years). 

This multi-year study will assess the engineering feasibility and environmental impacts associated with reconstructing the bridge at both its current location as well as alternative alignments. Ongoing growth along the nearby commercial U.S. Route 4 corridor, environmental justice considerations, recurring traffic issues at multiple intersections, and steep elevation changes along this area have prompted NYSDOT to consider alternate locations for the new crossing. In addition, the Troy-Menands Bridge carries NYS Route 378 over the Hudson River with an interchange at NYS Route 32, Broadway, in Menands and connecting with NYS Route 377, Van Rensselaer Blvd., at the boundary of the Village. There is a need for a direct bicycle and pedestrian facility along the Route 378 corridor and over the bridge better connecting South Troy and Menands and the counties of Rensselaer and Albany. The findings from this PEL study will ultimately feed into NYSDOT’s Preliminary Engineering/NEPA phase once funding has been identified. 

This study is a recommended outcome from the 2018 I-787 Study completed by the Capital Region Transportation Council. NYSDOT will take into consideration whatever the recommended outcome of the new I-787 study outlines as it relates to the replacement of the Route 378 bridge and the future of the I-787/Route 378 corridor.

Neighborhood stakeholders meeting at South Troy's Polish American Club, September 18, 2023.

Our Commitment to Outreach

The Troy-Menands Bridge Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) study will include significant collaboration among regional planners, municipal governments, residents and businesses, advocacy and stakeholder organizations, and elected representatives in and around the study area.

NYSDOT is committed to ensuring that all stakeholders have ample opportunity to learn about and understand the study elements, to comment on the study products as they develop, and to have their concerns and ideas heard. NYSDOT welcomes input and participation from community stakeholders and the general public.

We introduced our Troy-Menands Bridge PEL study to the public on Wednesday, November 16, at Hudson Valley Community College; the presentation is available on this site. NYSDOT hosted our second public meeting for the Troy-Menands Bridge NYS Route 378 PEL study on April 26, 2023 via Zoom. Check out NYSDOT’s YouTube channel for the narrated presentation is on NYSDOT's YouTube channel and the  Q&A is on this site. Our third public meeting was held on Thursday, October 26, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and was a hybrid format, in-person at Hudson Valley Community College, Bulmer Telecommunications Building with a Zoom option. The narrated presentation is available on YouTube. Most recently, the project team hosted a fourth and final public meeting on Tuesday, June 10th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Menands school gymnasium during which we discussed the expanded western study area. The recorded public presentation can be found on YouTube and the Q&A  is on this site.

Comments and mailing list sign-ups can be sent to NYSDOT via the "Contact Us" page.

Involved Groups

Steering Committee

NYSDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and our Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Capital Region Transportation Council, will hold Steering Committee meetings throughout the course of the study. This committee will ensure the study is covering all the essential elements at the federal and local levels and involving all the necessary parties.

Interagency Working Group

This group consists of federal and state permitting agencies NYSDOT regularly works with during the project development process. Interagency group meetings will take place at key concurrence points within the PEL process. This collaboration will assist in identifying environmental and cultural resources within the study area and build consensus around concepts developed within the study.

Transportation Partner Committee

The Transportation Partner Committee (TPC) is a working committee formed of volunteers to help provide on-the-ground direction and guidance in the development of the Troy-Menands Bridge PEL Study. The committee is comprised of municipal and county officials as well as regional planning and transit representatives.

Members include the Capital Region Transportation Council, the Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDRPC), the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) and representatives from the counties of Rensselaer and Albany and the municipalities of Troy, North Greenbush, Menands, and Colonie.

Draft Project Scoping Report

Attachment 1: Draft PEL Questionnaire

Attachment 2: Concepts

Attachment 3: Traffic Report,  Traffic Report Appendix

Attachment 4: Environment 

Attachment 5: Meeting Minutes

Attachment 6: Cost Estimates - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Public Meeting Presentations, Recordings, and Q&As:

1st Public Meeting (November 16, 2022) Presentation

Draft Statement of Need, Purpose, and Objectives of the Project

2nd Public Meeting (April 26, 2023) Presentation Recording

2nd Public Meeting (April 26, 2023) Q&A

3rd Public Meeting (October 26, 2023) Presentation Recording

4th Public Meeting (June 10, 2025) Presentation Recording

4th Public Meeting (June 10, 2025) Q&A

The NYS Route 378 Planning and Environmental Linkage Study kicked off public engagement in November 2022. 

Public Meeting No. 1 – November 16, 2022, 6 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College

Municipal and Interagency Meetings – Fall/Winter 2022-2023

Public Meeting No. 2 (Virtual) – April 26, 2023, 6 p.m. via Zoom

Draft report on Conceptual Replacement options – Spring/Summer 2023

Public Meeting No. 3  – October 26, 2023, 6 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College and via Zoom

Public Meeting No. 4 – June 10, 2025, 6:30 p.m. at the Menands School Gymnasium

Draft PEL Report – TBA

Final PEL Report – TBA