The $45 million infrastructure project upgraded nearly 70 lane miles of the New York State Thruway between Fredonia and Westfield. Sixteen bridges along the stretch also received vertical clearance improvements to help prevent future bridge strikes — a growing issue across the state. Finished on time and on budgetAccording to the New York State Thruway Authority, the project was completed as scheduled and within its original budget. “This project made critical safety improvements to a stretch of the Thruway that is traveled by nearly eight million vehicles each year,” said Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare. The Thruway — funded entirely by tolls, not tax dollars — is one of the nation’s safest and most affordable toll roads, according to the agency.