Tappan Zee Bridge (2017–present)
| New Tappan Zee Bridge | |
|---|---|
New Tappan Zee Bridge while under construction, one week before its official opening
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| Coordinates | 41°04′17″N 73°53′28″W / 41.07139°N 73.89111°WCoordinates: 41°04′17″N 73°53′28″W / 41.07139°N 73.89111°W |
| Carries | 8 lanes (4 northbound/westbound, 4 southbound/eastbound) of    I-87 / I-287 / New York Thruway
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| Crosses | Hudson River |
| Locale | Connecting South Nyack (Rockland County) and Tarrytown (Westchester County) |
| Official name | Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge |
| Other name(s) | New NY Bridge |
| Maintained by | New York State Thruway Authority |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | dual-span cable-stayed twin bridge |
| Total length | 16,368 ft (4,989 m); 3.1 mi (5.0 km) |
| Width | 183 ft (56 m), total of both decks: 87 ft (27 m) and 96 ft (29 m) |
| Height | 419 ft (128 m) |
| Longest span | 1,200 ft (370 m) |
| Clearance above | unlimited |
| Clearance below | 139 ft (42 m) |
| History | |
| Construction start | 2013 |
| Construction cost | $3.9 billion (2013 project budget) |
| Opened | August 26, 2017 (westbound span) June 15, 2018 (project completion) |
| Replaces | Tappan Zee Bridge (1955–2017) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 138,000+ (2011 est) |
The new Tappan Zee Bridge, officially named the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge after former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, is a twin cable-stayed bridge being built to replace the original Tappan Zee Bridge over New York's Hudson River. The new bridges are to the north of and roughly parallel to the existing Tappan Zee Bridge, and cross the Hudson River in a parallel east-to-west direction. In the final configuration, the north span will carry the northbound and westbound traffic of I-87 and I-287, respectively, as well as a bicycle and pedestrian path. The south span will carry the southbound and eastbound traffic of I-87 and I-287, respectively.
Construction began in 2013, and the north span officially opened to westbound traffic on August 26, 2017. Eastbound traffic was switched onto the same span on October 6, 2017. Tappan Zee Constructors are currently demolishing the old bridge and completing the south span, which eastbound traffic will use once complete. Both spans are expected to be operational by June 15, 2018.
The original Tappan Zee Bridge was a cantilever bridge built during 1952–1955. The bridge was 3 miles (4.8 km) long and spanned the Hudson at its second-widest point. The Tappan Zee river crossing was named by 17th century Dutch settlers. The Tappan Zee Bridge, along with the smaller Bear Mountain Bridge, are the only crossings of the stretch of the Hudson between Westchester and Rockland counties, both of which are part of New York City's populous northern suburbs.
The deteriorating structure bore 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 stemmed 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 Bridge was designed to last only 50 years. The new bridge is intended to last at least 100 years.
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Wikipedia