State to Blast Soil for TZ Bridge Research

If you hear an explosion this Friday morning, it's only soil testing.

In preparation for a , the New York State Thruway Authority will carry out a small test detonation on the Rockland shore sometime between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

"The detonation [will] create a vibration that will measure soil stability in the bed of the river," officials said. The test aims to examine sub-bottom conditions, they added.

The sound will be comprable to "a small firework going off," a Thruway spokesman said, and residents near the shore may hear it.

Traffic will not be affected, but boats will be stopped within a 500-foot buffer zone during the test.

The state has been working in the bridge's shadow for months now, that will be put to use when the new span is constructed.

(See photos of bridge research .)

Noise is an issue South Nyackers have been wary of for a while—Richard Sigglekow, who lives and works near the bridge, the construction and research sounds affect his quality of life and, possibly, his income.

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Related: the Thruway Authority's credit outlook was from "stable" to "negative."