Tappan Zee Bridge replacement

Tappan Zee Bridge replacement

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New NY Bridge
Concept art showcasing the New NY Bridge with dynamic lighting
Coordinates	41°04′17″N 73°53′28″W / 41.07139°N 73.89111°W / 41.07139; -73.89111Coordinates: 41°04′17″N 73°53′28″W / 41.07139°N 73.89111°W / 41.07139; -73.89111
Carries	8 lanes (4 northbound, 4 southbound) of I-87 / I-287 / New York Thruway
Crosses	Hudson River
Locale	Connecting South Nyack (Rockland County) and Tarrytown (Westchester County)
Characteristics
Design	dual-span cable-stayed twin bridge
History
Construction begin	2013
Construction cost	$3.9 billion (2013 project budget) [1]
Opened	Late 2016 (westbound span) Late 2017 (eastbound span) April 2018 (project completion)[1]
Statistics
Daily traffic	138,000+ (2011 est)

State and federal agencies are in the process of replacing the Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge over New York's Hudson River. Construction began in 2013, with opening targeted for 2018.

 

Contents

 [show] 

• 1 Background
• 2 Replacement bridge
• 3 Public transportation
• 4 Construction
• 5 See also
• 6 References
• 7 External links

 

Background[edit]

The original Tappan Zee bridge is a cantilever bridge built during 1952–1955. The bridge is 3 miles (4.8 km) long and spans the Hudson at its second-widest point. The Tappan Zee river crossing was named by 17th century Dutch settlers. The "Tappan" are believed to be a Native American tribe formerly living in the area; zee is the Dutch word for "sea".^[2] The Tappan Zee is the larger of the two bridges serving a 33-mile (53 km) stretch of river that passes through New York City's populous northern suburbs, the Bear Mountain Bridge being the smaller.

The original Tappan Zee was built in a period of material shortages during the Korean War.

The deteriorating current structure bears an average of 138,000 vehicles per day, substantially more traffic than its designed capacity. During its first decade, the bridge carried fewer than 40,000 vehicles per day. Part of the justification for replacing the bridge stems from its construction immediately following the Korean War on a low budget of only $81 million. Unlike other major bridges in metropolitan New York, the Tappan Zee was designed to last only 50 years.^[3] The new bridge is intended to last at least 100 years.^[4]

The collapse of Minnesota's I-35W Mississippi River bridge in 2007 raised worries about the Tappan Zee's structural integrity.^[5] These concerns, together with traffic overcapacity and increased maintenance costs, escalated the serious discussions already ongoing about replacing the Tappan Zee with a tunnel or a new bridge.^[6][7] Six options were identified and submitted for project study and environmental review.^[8]

Replacement bridge[edit]

The Federal Highway Administration issued a report in October 2011 designating the Tappan Zee's replacement to be a dual-span twin bridge. The new bridge is now under construction a few yards to the north of the existing bridge, and will connect to the existing highway approaches of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) on both river banks.^[9] Construction began as scheduled during 2013, with completion targeted for 2017.^[10] Project costs are estimated at $5 to $6 billion. Bridge tolls could more than double (to $12-$15 for automobiles, eastbound only), rising to those of New York City's Hudson River crossings.^[4]

As proposed,^[9] the new bridge will include

• Four vehicle lanes on each span, eight lanes total.
• A shared-use bicycle and pedestrian path.

Like its predecessor, the new Tappan Zee bridge will be administered by the New York State Thruway Authority. The authority is project co-sponsor, along with the state Department of Transportation.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council added the Tappan Zee Bridge to its list of projects eligible for federal funds in August 2012.^[11]

The United States Department of Transportation approved the plan on September 25, 2012. The approval process took fewer than 10 months as opposed to the traditional multi-year process as a result of being placed on a "fast track" for approval by the Obama Administration.^[12]

On December 17, 2012, New York state officials dropped their proposal for a 45 percent increase on the state Thruway toll for trucks, while advancing a $3.14 billion project to replace the bridge.^[13]

Proposals are being considered (with the support of Governor Cuomo), including a petition to the New York State Senate, to name the new bridge after Pete Seeger.^{[citation needed]} Mr. Seeger used music to push for an environment friendly Hudson River. Long before others understood the need or feasibility, Seeger campaigned for cleaning the river in the 1960s. As of the end of 2013, General Electric ^[14] had completed four seasons of dredging to remove contaminants from the river bottom. That means that approximately 70 percent of the sediments targeted for dredging overall has been removed (more than 1.9 million cubic yards of sediment).

The project timeline indicates demolition of the old bridge will begin in February 2017.^[15]

Public transportation[edit]

West of Tappan Zee, the 680,000 residents of Rockland and Orange counties currently have very limited mass transit to New York City via the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line commuter rail services. The bridge plan includes as an objective merely, "Providing a crossing that does not preclude future trans-Hudson transit services."^[9]

A proposed bus rapid transit system using the new bridge was shelved as too expensive. The existing New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Hudson commuter rail line Tarrytown station is located about 2,000 feet (610 m) from the new bridge's eastern landing. In 2011, the state estimated that a bus connector to the station would add about $151 million, or about 3 percent to projected costs of the new bridge.^[16]

Responding to widespread concerns about the lack of new public transit service, bridge planners agreed only to a "dedicated express bus lane" in each direction for use during rush hour.^[17]

Construction[edit]

The bridge is being built by Tappan Zee Constructors, a design-build LLC composed of Fluor Corporation, American Bridge Company, Granite Construction Northeast and Traylor Bros. The Left Coast Lifter will be used to install groups of pre-assembled girders one full span at a time.^[18] When completed in 2018, the new Tappan Zee Bridge will be the widest bridge on the planet and one of the longest cable-stayed spans in the nation.^[19]