More than two years ago construction began on Route 59 in West Nyack to elevate part of the highway and rebuild bridges. Now the work is almost finished and all lanes are open for traffic. "It's not totally completed yet," said Susan Stepp, spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation. "It's fully open. We'll be finished by October 31."

Stepp explained although the road looks like all the work is done there are remaining items, which include cleaning the road surface, removing construction signs and seeding areas along the highway. The target date for completion is October 31 and Stepp said the project is on schedule to meet that timeframe. Stepp said the DOT did not heard directly from drivers or business owners once the majority of the work was wrapped up on Wednesday, Oct. 3.

"It's safe to say that everyone is relieved all the lanes are open," she said. Some businesses celebrated as the project wound down. The Shop Rite on Route 59 in West Nyack included mention of the end of construction in its advertisements.

Preliminary work began on east and westbound Route 59 in mid October of 2009 with the first lane closures happening in the fall of 2010. Stepp explained because it was an older section of roadway that is very heavily traveled and developed, reconstruction was needed.

The project called for rebuilding and raising that section of Route 59 near the Palisades Center and replacing bridges that go over the Hackensack River and CSX railroad tracks in West Nyack. Throughout 2011 and 2012, Route 59 has been torn up and rebuilt in both directions and existing bridges were demolished in pieces.

Regarding the flooding that has occurred on Route 59 near the mall and Route 303, Stepp said the improvements will not stop the flooding but will alleviate it. "(In) just a typical rainstorm, it should be fine to drive on," she said.