I-84 construction to improve emergency access after fatal bus crash: Here's the timeline

Construction of an Interstate 84 emergency access gate, which emergency officials claim could have reduced their response time to the scene of a fatal bus crash in Wawayanda last September, is expected to begin this spring.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a formal maintenance agreement between the state Department of Transportation and the town has been signed.

That clears the way for the installation of an access gate this spring, Hochul said.

The DOT will design and install a new entranceway and access gate at Orange County Route 49 that will provide emergency service vehicles direct access to I-84.

Minifigure Skyflyer: Legoland teams up with Belleayre to preview new ride opening this summer

Fatal bus crash renewed calls for I-84 access gate

Local officials in Wawayanda and the state police have been calling for the installation of a new emergency access point between the Goshen and Mountain Road exits on the interstate highway for more than 20 years.

The lack of an emergency access point was highlighted when a charter bus carrying 40 students and four adults from Farmingdale High School on Long Island crashed into a ravine on I-84 in the town of Wawayanda on Sept. 21 last year.

Emergency officials said that if there had been a crash gate along that 10-mile stretch of the interstate highway, their response time could have been reduced by 10 or 15 minutes.

'There are families grieving today': NYSP reveal possible cause of I-84 bus crash

Two adults were killed in the crash: Beatrice Ferrari, 77, a retired teacher at Farmingdale High School who was serving as a chaperone, and Gina Pellettiere, 43, the school's band director. All 40 students on the bus were injured, five of them critically.

The bus was one of six chartered by the school to take the students to a band camp in Greeley, Pa.

"Since the terrible accident on Interstate 84, I have been laser-focused on working with our local and federal partners to approve the new emergency access gate and keep New Yorkers safe," Hochul said in a statement. "This access gate will allow police, fire departments and other emergency service providers a faster, more direct way to reach Interstate 84 and save lives."

I-84 access gate: When construction will begin, traffic pattern

The agreement calls for the DOT to design and construct a new ramp from county Route 49 to the westbound lanes of I-84.

Access to the eastbound side will be available via an existing turnaround near the access gate. Only designated emergency service providers and maintenance equipment will be able to use the access gate.

The Federal Highway Administration approved the plans for the new access gate in December. The state DOT expects work to start as soon as the construction season begins this spring.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: I-84 construction to improve emergency access after fatal NY bus crash