For immediate release: August 30, 2013
NO IMPACT PILE DRIVING OR LANE CLOSURES SCHEDULED FOR LABOR DAY HOLIDAY WEEKEND, ROCKLAND BULKHEAD CONCRETE PLACEMENT TO COMMENCE
Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will not engage in any pre-construction activities that affect traffic through Monday, Sept. 2 in observance of Labor Day. No lane closures will be allowed until Tuesday Sept. 3 at 10am in order to avoid impacts on motorists during the busy Labor Day holiday travel weekend. In addition, no impact pile driving is scheduled until Tuesday September 3.
Dredging will continue 24/7 through Oct. 31. As outlined in the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the New NY Bridge project, the dredging window is designed to avoid negatively impacting migration and spawning patterns of local sturgeon populations and other fish species. The operations will deepen the river’s shallow water level in the work zone by removing sediment from the river bottom. The dredged materials are being properly disposed of at offsite locations.
Rockland bulkhead construction continues next week with concrete placement. Frequent concrete truck traffic is expected on certain designated roads in the villages of Nyack and South Nyack from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday. TZC and the Thruway Authority have coordinated extensively with village leaders and local police to ensure safety and minimize impacts on traffic, the villages and their residents. Anyone with questions can call the New NY Bridge 24-hour Toll-Free Hotline: 1-855-TZ-BRIDGE.
Construction of the Rockland County trestle will continue and include daytime pile driving to install the temporary foundation piles needed to support the platform. Pile driving will be limited to a maximum of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and, occasionally, on Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. The trestle is a work platform that will support a crane for the construction of the westernmost section of the new bridge. The 1200-foot long platform helps reduce the amount of dredging required.
Impact pile driving will continue as part of the ongoing test pile program and will continue through October at various locations for future pile foundations during the same timeframe as above. The test pile program will verify subsurface conditions and test structural load capacities in preparation for construction of the new bridge’s permanent foundation.
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including a request that boaters use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area in the vicinity of the Tappan Zee Bridge.
The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found the project website, www.NewNYBridge.com under the boating safety icon.
On Tuesday, Sept. 3, one northbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 near Exit 10 will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for shoulder work. The northbound right hand and shoulder lane will be closed at the same location from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Wednesday, Sept. 4. On Friday, Sept. 6, one southbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 between the foot of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge and Exit 11 will be closed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for shoulder work.
Ongoing operations:
Test pile program
Rockland bulkhead construction and Dock Extension at Rockland under existing bridge
Temporary Rockland trestle construction including pile driving on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Temporary Westchester trestle construction including pile driving on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Survey inspections on existing bridge
Mobilization at the exit 10 staging area
Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline