CLARENCE, N.Y. — With 630,000 cars driving the New York State Thruway every week and even more during Thanksgiving, News10NBC found repaired cracks in the walls of every large rest stop in the Rochester area.
“When you’re up close you can see where the cracks have been patched. There’s a mark right there,” said Berkeley Brean, News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter, while examining the walls at the Clarence rest stop, 60 miles from Rochester.
Brean saw repaired cracks up the side of the walls on both sides of the building.
Frank Schroeder, who was traveling to Michigan for Thanksgiving, reacted to the sight of the repairs.
Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “What do you think?”
Frank Schroeder, traveling to Michigan for Thanksgiving: “Wow looks pretty dangerous. Almost looks like a cover up to me.”
“Well, I count at least 15 or so,” Schroeder said. “But it’s not just horizontal. It’s also diagonal. So it’s all patched up and painted over.”
Five years ago, the state contracted with an Irish company called Applegreen to rebuild 27 rest stops using $450 million in private money. The walls that cracked were made by a Vancouver company called Nexii and are considered green and environmentally friendly.
Brean also found repairs at the Pembroke rest stop going east and the Clifton Springs rest stop, another larger building with cathedral ceilings located 45 minutes east of Rochester. The stops with the damage were finished in 2023.
Taxpayer money and toll money was not used to build the rest stops. The Thruway Authority deferred to Applegreen, which owns the buildings, for all comments.
In a statement, an Applegreen spokesman said the company is aware of the cracking and that “our contractors are carrying out ongoing repairs to the product, however the cracks and their repair work pose no public safety issue.”
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