What Happened
Road closures remained firmly in place across the Hudson Valley on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, as communities continued cleaning up after four consecutive days of rain and powerful storms that left widespread flooding and debris across the region. According to News 12 Long Island, flooding forced the closure of a section of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, creating significant commuting headaches for drivers traveling through the area.
State police confirmed that the Palisades Interstate Parkway is closed in both directions near the Bear Mountain Traffic Circle by Exit 19 in Highlands, per News 12 Long Island. The closure has no stated end time, and the full scope of storm-related damage to the roadway had not yet been publicly detailed as of the report’s publication at 12:30 PM on Tuesday.
Compounding the travel disruptions, state police also confirmed that all lanes of Seven Lakes Drive in Sloatsburg are closed until further notice. Like the Palisades Parkway shutdown, the Seven Lakes Drive closure is tied directly to storm damage and debris that accumulated during the multi-day weather event, News 12 Long Island reported.
Drivers throughout the affected region are being urged to allow extra travel time as crews work to remove debris and repair storm damage. Crews are continuing to operate throughout the Hudson Valley with the goal of restoring normal traffic patterns and clearing all affected roadways, though no specific timeline for reopening either the Palisades Parkway or Seven Lakes Drive was provided in the report.
Location & Road Context
The Palisades Interstate Parkway is a major north-south arterial connecting northern New Jersey and the Lower Hudson Valley, running through some of the region’s most heavily traveled state park corridors. The closure point near the Bear Mountain Traffic Circle at Exit 19 in Highlands is a critical interchange for drivers using the parkway to access Bear Mountain State Park and points further north — a route that sees particularly heavy use during summer months. Seven Lakes Drive in Sloatsburg is a scenic connector through Harriman State Park that serves as an alternate route for drivers between the parkway and interior park destinations, making its simultaneous closure a further strain on already-limited detour options in the area.
Broader Impact
The back-to-back closures of the Palisades Interstate Parkway and Seven Lakes Drive during the height of summer travel season — when park usage and regional traffic volumes are at their peak — leaves drivers with significantly reduced routing options through the Hudson Valley. With both a primary parkway and a key alternate corridor shuttered at the same time, commuters and recreational travelers alike face substantially longer detours until state crews complete debris removal and damage assessment on both roadways.