Ribbon Cutting Celebrates Rockland County Highway Department's Latest Facility

by M.C. Millman 

The Rockland County Highway Department held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday morning to celebrate its brand-new highway facility. 

The new, seven-building facility is located on twenty-four acres in Chestnut Ridge, just north of New York State Thruway exit 14a. The 114,500-square foot, $35 million complex boasts an office building; operations building; indoor vehicle storage capability; and maintenance repair shop. There is also a truck wash station which will increase the life expectancy of County vehicles by 20%, saving about $190,000 a year. A 10,000-ton salt shed doubles the current salt holding capacity. There are also generators and a fuel station with the capacity to maintain operations for two weeks on its own, and a green building that includes natural and recycled materials for construction and passive solar.

With the new facility, the Highway Department will be able to access Rockland's roads and highways. As a result, this will reduce response times during snow emergencies and improve the County's ability to maintain its highway infrastructure.

“The Rockland County Highway Department has moved from the oldest, longest, continuously used county highway facility in the state to a modern, state-of-the-art environmentally correct green facility located at the center of our service area to serve the residents of our county in the most efficient manner,” says Highway Superintendent Charles Vezzetti. 

The prior facility was constructed in 1935 and first flagged for needed upgrades in the 60’s. But it wasn’t until 2020, when the County Executive, along with the Rockland County Legislature, passed a bond resolution for the construction, that the new facility became a reality.

The County Highway Department is responsible for 72 bridges and 170 miles of road – both of which have Rockland rated as one of the top Highway Departments in the entire state.