Upstate New York Highway to Reopen After Months of Closure

A road in Upstate New York that's been closed for months following a fatal crash is expected to reopen very soon.

The New York State DEC is planning to reopen a stretch of Columbia County road that was the scene of a fatal crash.

April Crash Kills Married Couple

Back in April, that tragedy forced a portion of Route 23 in Copake to be closed down after the accident took the lives of a married couple whose vehicle collided with a tanker truck. The truck was carrying about 7,000 gallons of gasoline at the time of the crash.

John Piwowarski, 78, was driving a 2022 Subaru Outback and entering the intersection from County Route 7 onto State Route 23 when the anker truck owned by GRJH, Inc., of Millerton, hit the Subaru.

John was pronounced dead on the scene. His wife, 76-year-old Janet Piwowarski, was later pronounced dead at Columbia Memorial Hospital.

DEC Cleaning Up Gas From Area

Up to 5,000 gallons of gas spilled. The gas soaked the road and also spilled into a nearby tributary to the Taghkanic Creek.

As of this writing, Route 23 remains shut down to all traffic between State Route 22 and County Route 7 (Craryville Road). A lengthy local detour is in place

When Should the Road Be Reopened

Since the crash, on April 16, crews have been working hard to clean up the area.

The New York State DEC believes that Route 23 can reopen to traffic in early June.

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