RAMAPO, N.Y. — A massive Jehovah’s Witnesses construction project in Rockland County has hit a rocky patch — literally — and local drivers are running out of patience.
Crews working on the group’s 1.7 million-square-foot audiovisual center on Sterling Mine Road have faced months of delays. The primary cause: contractors hit solid rock while trying to install utility lines. The result? Blasting, setbacks, and gridlocked traffic.
“It’s taking forever,” said Chris Elias, a Tuxedo commuter. “Every time I drive through, another section’s been dug up. The road is just really, really crappy to drive on.”
The site will eventually house production studios, offices, a gym, an energy plant, and 645 apartments for volunteers producing religious content distributed worldwide. Once completed, the complex will rival the size of the group’s world headquarters in nearby Warwick.
Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesperson Matthew Mordecki acknowledged the mounting frustration. “We feel your pain,” he said in a Zoom interview. “There’s no good time to open a project like this, but it’s also developing the water and sewer district to the county line — this won’t have to happen again.”
According to Mordecki, paving crews will resurface the entire stretch of road within the next few weeks. Roadwork is expected to conclude by November. However, the AV center itself won’t be finished until 2030.
For now, Rockland commuters will have to keep dodging potholes — and delays.
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Mathew Alvarez joined Rockland Daily News as a reporter in March 2020, but he’s no stranger to Rockland County. He grew up in New City and graduated from Ball State’s College of Communication, Information, and Media.
