A Spring Valley man had to be airlifted to Hackensack University Medical Center after a single-car crash on the Palisades Parkway early yesterday morning. New York State Police say Rockland County 911 was notified of a crash near the PIP Exit 9W and exit 13N of the Thruway around 4:35AM. Troopers responded but were unable to locate the car. Around 6AM, a man, who it was later determined was a passenger in the car, crawled up an embankment just north of the Exit 9W ramp, and flagged down a motorist who then called 911. Police say the two men were heading north on the Parkway when they went off the right shoulder by Exit 9W, traveled down a steep embankment, and came to rest about two hundred feet into the woods. The vehicle overturned, the driver was ejected but partially trapped underneath. Firefighters got him out, and he was airlifted to the hospital. Police say neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been a factor in the crash. An investigation is ongoing. Volunteers from the Nanuet, Hillcrest, and Excelsior Fire Departments, as well as Clarkstown Police and Rockland Paramedics also responded to the scene.
East Ramapo Sets New Budget Vote
The East Ramapo school district has set June 18th for their next school budget vote after it failed to pass earlier this month, but the size of the new budget has not yet been released. The Journal News says last night’s board meeting ended abruptly without disclosing details given on the spending plan. The district’s $331 million budget and nearly two-percent tax hike was rejected last week by voters. The board has until tomorrow to approve and release a new budget proposal.
Western Ramapo Land Secured for Park Space
132 acres of land in western Ramapo known as the Eagle Valley Assemblage
has been acquired by the Open Space Institute to protect crucial water
resources and strengthen undeveloped land between Sterling Forest and
Harriman State Parks. Rockland County Executive Ed Day says the land will
be transferred to the county so that it can be used for a new county park
and creating links between the Sloatsburg train station and other
protected areas nearby.
Free Hudson Link Shared Use Path Service Resumes
The Hudson Link’s free weekend shuttle bus servicing the shared-use path
on the Tappan Zee Bridge is back in service as of this past weekend. It’ll
continue every weekend through October 27th. Pedestrians and cyclists can
use the service to access the path from several locations in Westchester
and Rockland counties. The shuttle will run every 20 minutes between 9:30
a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekends and make four stops: Palisades Center – Lot J, the Path’s landing in South Nyack, the Path’s landing in Tarrytown, and
the Tarrytown train station. Meanwhile, construction begins today on a new bridge giving bicyclists and pedestrians easier access to the path in Tarrytown. The NYS Thruway Authority and the DOT say the 270-foot-long pedestrian-bicycle bridge will go over the Thruway near South Broadway and Paulding Avenue. Work will take place daily, and it’ll take about six weeks to complete. For more information, visit the bridge’s website, mariomcuomobridge.ny.gov.