Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement: Out With the Old

A recent hearing on the proposed new Tappan Zee Bridge—held June 30 at the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack—focused on the bridge and
other transit options for Rockland County.

The deteriorating bridge carries far more traffic than it was designed for, in part because it was constructed during the Korean War when steel and other building materials were being used for the war effort. The use of lesser-quality building materials meant the bridge was designed to last only about 50 years.

The proposed project includes building a new bridge to replace the aging Tappan Zee Bridge, adding passenger train service on Metro-North's Hudson Line to and from Grand Central Terminal, adding bus service from Suffern to Port Chester along Interstate 287 and building two multimodal stations in Clarkstown for those train and bus lines.

The hearing had numerous visual aids for residents to examine, including the six bridge options. Each option has four lanes in each direction, two railroad tracks, two bus lanes and a shared-use pedestrian/bicycle path on one side of the span. There are three single-level options and three dual-level ones. The designs range in width from 185-280 feet, or two to three times the width of the current bridge.

The current cost estimates for the project is about $16 billion ($6.4 billion for the
bridge, $6.7 billion for the rail line and $2.9 billion for the bus lanes). That total could increase depending on which option is chosen and how long it takes to complete it.

That would be money well spent, according to Bruce Michaels, an area resident and
member of a task force put together in March by Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack to examine the project's impact on the town.

"I'm very excited for this opportunity for Clarkstown and Rockland County and Orange County," Michaels said. "This opens up a whole new world of people who can move to the area."

The project would provide better and easier access to the county, Michaels said. While some may be concerned about the cost, especially during a time of fiscal uncertainty at the state level, he noted people need to have a long-term view of the project's benefits to the region's residents now and for several generations to come.

"You have to spend money to generate money and to build your infrastructure," Michaels said. "I see it as being very successful if it does take place."

Wayne Ballard, the superintendent of highways for Clarkstown and another task force member, agrees the proposed project would benefit the area, especially the added train and bus service.

"Anytime you get people off the road and onto mass transit it's a good thing," Ballard said. "I'd love to see trains; that would be a great thing for our towns."

Ballard's primary concerns are to ensure the town's traffic and aesthetics are not
disturbed by the plan and don't create additional problems for local residents.
"If it's happening—and I think it will happen—I want my town to be protected so my residents are minimally impacted," he said.

One area of prime concern for Ballard is the proposed station at the Palisades Center. The plan includes too many difficult to navigate roads to get in and out of the station, located near one of the mall's parking lots.

"Maybe they need to rethink that so there's a smoother transition," said Ballard, who added he was told state officials in charge of the plan would address that concern.

State officials overseeing the project are hopeful of completing and submitting a draft environmental impact statement for federal review by the end of the year. Final approval could come as early as next year, they said.

If the money for the bridge and highway work is approved, construction on the project could begin as early as 2013.

The bridge project team also has an office at 203 Main St., Nyack, where the public can get the latest details on the project. The office is open from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The office phone number is (845) 348-7714. There's also a Web site with information on the project.

In the meantime, deck replacement work on the bridge continues. Since September
2007, the state has been replacing significant portions of the bridge's deck. When completed, approximately 96 percent of the original deck will have been replaced since the bridge opened in 1955. The project is slated for completion in the winter of 2012.