The New NY Bridge Newsletter for January 2017

January 2017
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the New NY Bridge has reached a major milestone with the topping off of the eight main span towers. The New NY Bridge is on track to open in 2018 and on budget at $3.98 billion.
The project team is looking forward to another year of progress on the twin-span replacement of the original Tappan Zee Bridge, including the completion of the westbound span.
Motorists on the Tappan Zee Bridge may be familiar with the rhythmic bumps in the existing bridge’s roadway. These interruptions are the result of nearly 200 expansion joints, which are designed to absorb the slight expansion and contraction of the bridge’s steel and concrete. Drivers can expect a much smoother ride in the future thanks to the dramatic reduction of expansion joints on the new bridge.
The New NY Bridge project team is supporting local charities to make the holidays a little more joyous for those in need in our communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
How will the project reduce traffic congestion? 
A:
The existing bridge has only seven lanes, some of which are narrower than the current standard lane width of 12 feet. The new bridge will have eight, 12-foot-wide lanes and wider shoulders. The shoulders of the new crossing will greatly reduce the traffic impact of disabled vehicles and accidents, which can cause massive tie-ups on the existing bridge. The incline approaching the main span will not be as steep, allowing large trucks to maintain consistent speed and reduce engine and braking noise. The ability of trucks to maintain highway speed will also reduce speed differential with passenger vehicles which lessens lane changes and potential for accidents. There will also be gently banked curves to further smooth traffic flow and reduce accidents. In addition, the new bridge is being built with space to accommodate dedicated bus lanes. In April 2016, cashless tolling went into effect on the existing bridge, and this will be a feature of the new bridge, eliminating the need for eastbound drivers to slow down or stop and idle at a toll plaza.

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HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Follow Us on Twitter
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Call the Project Hotline
1-855-TZBRIDGE
(1-855-892-7434)

Westchester: 2 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY
Rockland: 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY
Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun: 11am-4pm


Visit the Project Website

Email Us
Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, Tarrytown, NY
Memorial Park, Nyack, NY
©2017 New York State Thruway Authority

The New NY Bridge Newsletter November 2016

December 2016
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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The new bridge’s iconic main span towers are nearing completion thanks to the around-the-clock efforts of the hard-working men and women of Tappan Zee Constructors.
Following South Nyack’s overwhelming endorsement of “Alternative F” in March, the New NY Bridge project team has been working with Mayor Bonnie Christian and the village’s Tappan Zee Bridge task force on the design of the Rockland end of the shared-use path.
Tappan Zee Constructors recently installed the first of 18 overhead gantries, which will be equipped with enhanced technology to help keep traffic moving safely and efficiently on the new bridge.
The New NY Bridge project is standing united this Veterans Day to honor all those who have served in the U.S. military.  Veterans are among the thousands of skilled individuals who have made possible the remarkable progress taking place on the Hudson River.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Why does the current Tappan Zee Bridge need to be replaced?        
A:
The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge opened to traffic in 1955 and is a vital artery for residents, commuters, travelers and commercial traffic. The bridge, which was designed to carry up to 100,000 vehicles per day, currently handles an average of 140,000 vehicles daily, and traffic congestion and delays are regular occurrences. Heavy traffic, narrow lanes and the lack of emergency shoulders often contribute to congestion and frustration for motorists. As a result, the bridge has twice the average accident rate per mile as the rest of the 570-mile Thruway system. In recent years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to maintain and repair the bridge. If the current bridge were not being replaced, the Thruway Authority would need to spend an additional $3 billion to $4 billion over the next 20 years to ensure its structural integrity.

The New NY Bridge November Newsletter

November 2016
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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Following the successful completion of its phase one girder operations, the project’s largest crane has returned to familiar territory to help crews with road deck installation.
Tappan Zee Constructors recently completed the first two 419-foot towers of the iconic main span. Our new time-lapse video captures the evolution of the westbound (Rockland-bound) towers aided by the project’s blue self-climbing jump forms.
The New NY Bridge project reached a major milestone with the installation of the final steel-blue girder assembly for the new westbound approach span.
The New NY Bridge project has become a symbol for what the state can accomplish. Watch the new twin-span crossing take shape during the past three years in this new time-lapse video. From steel girders to concrete towers, from piles to road deck, from shoreline to shoreline, the transformation has been amazing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
How will the project reduce traffic congestion?        
A:
The existing bridge has only seven lanes, some of which are narrower than the current standard width of 12 feet. The new bridge will have eight 12-foot-wide lanes. The wide shoulders of the new crossing will greatly reduce the traffic impact of disabled vehicles and accidents, which can cause massive tie-ups on the existing bridge. The incline over the main span will not be as steep, allowing large trucks to maintain consistent speed and reduce engine and braking noise. There will also be gently banked curves to help smooth traffic flow and reduce accidents as well as a cashless tolling system to eliminate the need for drivers to slow down or stop at a toll plaza. In addition, the new bridge is being built with the structural capacity to handle commuter rail, light rail, or bus rapid transit.
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Project Update: STAY CABLE INSTALLATION CONTINUES

TZ

For immediate release: August 4, 2016

STAY CABLE INSTALLATION CONTINUES
Work Progresses on Main Span

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) continues to install the new northbound bridge’s stay cable system. The stay cables are comprised of numerous metal strands, tightly packed in a protective sheath. After the initial installation process, TZC will install additional strands inside the sheath to provide further strength.

TZC will install new structural steel sections and stay cables on alternating sides of the towers as work continues. Precast concrete deck panels will also be placed in the erected steel sections to provide a base driving surface.

Maintenance Dock Construction
TZC will continue constructing a New York State Thruway Authority maintenance dock near the new bridge’s Rockland landing. The work involves partially dismantling the existing work trestle that was used to construct the northern span of the new bridge. Work will take place during daytime hours. The construction efforts are expected to conclude later this year.

Noise Barrier Construction
TZC will continue constructing noise barriers along the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) in South Nyack next week. The work includes constructing noise barrier foundations and excavating soil along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. After the foundations are established, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise in the nearby community.

TZC also will continue constructing foundation walls for the future highway and shared-use path along the northbound Thruway in South Nyack. The operation is scheduled to continue in the coming months.

Additional work includes:

  • Main span tower construction
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Rockland landing retaining walls
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Utility work at the Westchester landings
  • Girder assembly placement
  • Bridge road deck installation
  • Drainage structure installations
  • Maintenance facility construction in Tarrytown
  • Soil boring in South Nyack

Boater Safety
Marine units are continuing patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. The U.S. Coast Guard also has established a safety zone encompassing all navigable waters within a 200-yard radius of the largest machine on the project, the I Lift NY super crane, legally registered with the U.S. Coast Guard as the Left Coast Lifter.

In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. The Eastern RNA will be extremely active and vessels transitioning to and from the eastern shoreline at Tarrytown should approach and depart to the north. The Western RNA will be impassable at times and mariners should stay clear of the area.

Boaters are strongly urged to use the center 600 feet of the main channel (when available) to navigate in a north-south direction with no wake at a maximum speed of five knots. Boaters should expect periodic partial closures of the main channel due to construction activities. Tune to Marine Radio Channel 22A for the latest U.S. Coast Guard advisories.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Mariners are advised to stay clear of all overhead work and maintain a safe distance of 1,000 feet from all construction equipment and support vessels. In addition, all bridge piers and abutments are protected by a 25-yard security zone.

Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed on the existing bridge to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard permit requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment. All mariners should consult the latest USCG Local Notice to Mariners before transiting this area.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site map can be found at NewNYBridge.com/Boater. The page includes an interactive GPS map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River, detailing which vessels are stopped and which are in motion to a new location, for recreational and commercial boaters to get current information on the very active construction zone. The vessel tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

###

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New NY Bridge Project August 2016 Newsletter

August 2016
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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The outline of the new twin-span crossing is emerging this summer as the project continues to make remarkable progress on the Hudson River. The Rockland and Westchester approaches continue to grow with rows of steel girders and hundreds of precast road deck panels. At the main span towers, crews are also installing sections of steel and roadway, and preparing the area for the new stay cable system.

The New York State Thruway Authority announced that Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC has completed installation of the first stay cables on the New NY Bridge project. The stay cables, along with the 419-foot towers, will be the most prominent features of the new 3.1-mile structure. The first two stay cables were installed by TZC on the new northbound bridge’s main span on Thursday, July 21, 2016.

In just half a year, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC has transformed the New NY Bridge project site by connecting piers, installing road deck panels and doubling the height of the new main span towers. The iconic structures now rise above the existing Tappan Zee Bridge, with TZC preparing to install the first of nearly 200 stay cables.

With summer in full swing, the New NY Bridge project is making its most visible advancements to date. Those keen on observing the progress firsthand have a “front row seat” to the action, through the project’s viewing platforms and outreach centers in Tarrytown and Nyack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Why does the current Tappan Zee Bridge need to be replaced?     
A:
The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge opened to traffic in 1955 and is a vital artery for residents, commuters, travelers, and commercial traffic. The bridge, which was designed to carry up to 100,000 vehicles per day, currently handles an average of 140,000 daily, and traffic congestion and delays are regular occurrences. Heavy traffic, narrow lanes and the lack of emergency shoulders contribute to congestion and frustration for motorists and can create unsafe driving conditions. As a result, the bridge has twice the average accident rate per mile as the rest of the 574-mile Thruway system. In recent years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to maintain and repair the bridge. If the current bridge were not being replaced, the state would need to spend an additional $3 to $4 billion over the next 20 years to ensure its structural integrity.
Get Your E-ZPass ® 

“On-the-Go”at the

 New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers

View the latest issues of the
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates

TZ Bridge Tour _ Rand Commercial Day of Learning 7.18.2016

A view from the Hudson River is the best way to view the progress of the New NY Bridge . Rand Commercial agents spent the day navigating the waters and learning about the bridge building process. We lunched and saw the amazing progress that has been made and the daunting task that lies ahead.  A very special “thank you” to Dan Marcy of the New NY Bridge Project who guided us thru the site tour.

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New NY Bridge Monthly Newsletter July 2016

July 2016
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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Tappan Zee Constructors (TZC) has begun building the roadway for the new bridge’s main span.
In June, TZC installed four large pre-assembled sections of steel, weighing nearly 340,000 pounds each, atop the main span crossbeams. These steel segments will allow the team to build out from the towers one section at a time, attaching stay cables to the structure along the way. Precast concrete deck panels will be placed in the erected steel sections to provide a base driving surface.
The New NY Bridge project has made extraordinary progress over the past year, with more than a mile of steel girders in place and new towers rising above the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. You can see the transformation for yourself in this narrated video.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that “Alternative F” was selected as the design for the New NY Bridge project’s shared-use path connections in Westchester and Rockland. The decision followed a thorough review of the alternative’s impacts and benefits to the local communities.

This Independence Day weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard, the New York State Thruway Authority, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) and local law enforcement are reminding boaters of the safety measures near the extremely active work site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
How much will the new bridge cost?    
A:
The project cost is $3.98 billion. This includes bridge design-builder Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC’s (TZC) contract cost of $3.142 billion and $600 to $800 million in owner’s (New York State Thruway Authority) costs, which cover project management, oversight, a contingency fund and some financing costs.

Continues Cashless Tolling System Now In Effect

The new NY bridge

Tarrytown Toll Plaza Demolition ContinuesCashless Tolling System Now In Effect

http://www.newnybridge.com/tarrytown-toll-plaza-demolition-continues-cashless-tolling-system-now-in-effect/Demolition of the deactivated toll plaza in Tarrytown continues as Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) removes the toll plaza structures on the four right-most lanes of the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) in preparation for the next shift in traffic, which is scheduled to occur in late May.

Survey work in the area will necessitate a midday lane closure, detailed in the chart below.

LANE CLOSURES NEAR THE TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Tue., 5/10 10 a.m. – One right lane 3 p.m. Southbound Thruway
near the former toll plaza

Noise Barrier Construction
TZC will continue constructing noise barriers along the Thruway in South Nyack next week. The work includes constructing noise barrier foundations and excavating soil along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. After the foundations are established, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

TZC also will continue constructing foundation walls for the future highway and shared-use path along the northbound Thruway in South Nyack. The operation is scheduled to continue in the coming months.

Additional work includes:

  • Main span tower construction
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Rockland landing retaining walls
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester landings utility work
  • Girder assembly placement
  • Bridge road deck installation
  • Drainage structure installations

Boater Safety
Marine units are continuing patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. TZC will also be working in the area left and right of the main navigation channel under the main span of the bridge. TZC will begin working in the main navigation channel, which will result in partial or total closure of same. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed on the existing bridge to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard permit requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment. All Mariners should consult the latest USCG Local Notice to Mariners before transiting this area.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. The page includes an interactive GPS map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River, detailing which vessels are stopped and which are in motion to a new location for recreational and commercial boaters to get current information on the very active construction zone. The vessel tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visithttp://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

Tarrytown Toll Plaza Demolition Continues Cashless Tolling System Now In Effect

TARRYTOWN TOLL PLAZA DEMOLITION CONTINUES

update

For immediate release: May 5, 2016

TARRYTOWN TOLL PLAZA DEMOLITION CONTINUES
Cashless Tolling System Now In Effect

Demolition of the deactivated toll plaza in Tarrytown continues as Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) removes the toll plaza structures on the four right-most lanes of the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) in preparation for the next shift in traffic, which is scheduled to occur in late May.

Survey work in the area will necessitate a midday lane closure, detailed in the chart below.

Lane Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Tue., 5/10 10 a.m. – One right lane 3 p.m. Southbound Thruway
near the former toll plaza

Noise Barrier Construction
TZC will continue constructing noise barriers along the Thruway in South Nyack next week. The work includes constructing noise barrier foundations and excavating soil along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. After the foundations are established, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

TZC also will continue constructing foundation walls for the future highway and shared-use path along the northbound Thruway in South Nyack. The operation is scheduled to continue in the coming months.

Additional work includes:

  • Main span tower construction
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Rockland landing retaining walls
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester landings utility work
  • Girder assembly placement
  • Bridge road deck installation
  • Drainage structure installations

Boater Safety
Marine units are continuing patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. TZC will also be working in the area left and right of the main navigation channel under the main span of the bridge. TZC will begin working in the main navigation channel, which will result in partial or total closure of same. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed on the existing bridge to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard permit requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment. All Mariners should consult the latest USCG Local Notice to Mariners before transiting this area.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. The page includes an interactive GPS map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River, detailing which vessels are stopped and which are in motion to a new location for recreational and commercial boaters to get current information on the very active construction zone. The vessel tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

 

May 2016 New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter

May 2016
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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The pair of peregrine falcons that live in a man-made nest box on the existing Tappan Zee Bridge became proud parents once again with the hatching of a nestling on April 10.
The New NY Bridge project team is inviting members of the public to help name the new falcon chick.
A week-long naming contest is now underway on the project’s Falcon Cam webpage. Rockland and Westchester students came up with the names.

On Sunday April 24, travelers on the Tappan Zee Bridge said goodbye to the lines at the Tarrytown toll plaza thanks to cashless tolling. The state-of-the-art technology created a new traffic pattern in the area, eliminating the need for toll booths and speeding commutes across the river.

Rows of towering piers stand in procession across the Hudson River as the New NY Bridge project steadily moves ahead.

Years of hard work and careful planning on the New NY Bridge project are paying off as Tappan Zee Constructors recorded several construction milestones.

Workers on the New NY Bridge project are making swift progress installing steel girders thanks, in part, to recent good weather.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
What is Cashless Tolling?    
A:
The new cashless tolling system allows motorists to pay their toll while maintaining highway speeds on the Tappan Zee Bridge. The system collects tolls via E-ZPass and Tolls by Mail, detecting classes of vehicles and applying the correct charge.
If you have E-ZPass, your toll is collected using the same process that you are already familiar with. If you don’t have E-ZPass, cameras photograph your vehicle’s license plate as it passes under the overhead equipment. A bill is then automatically sent to the registered owner by U.S. Mail.
Get Your E-ZPass ® 

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NEW NY BRIDGE APRIL 2016 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

April 2016
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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The new bridge moved another giant step forward this month as Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) installed the fourth and final concrete crossbeam on the main span. In addition to supporting the future road deck, the massive precast beams will reinforce the outward-angled towers as they grow to their ultimate 419-foot height.

Rockland and Westchester residents voiced their opinions at a pair of public meetings this March as the New NY Bridge team presented detailed information regarding the proposed alternatives for the Shared-Use Path (SUP) parking facilities and connections in the villages of South Nyack and Tarrytown.

Living up to its safety motto, “Take Zero Chances,” Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) recently held safety meetings with every member of its New NY Bridge project crew.

Since the start of construction of the New NY Bridge in 2013, the project’s outreach team has partnered with local schools to engage nearly 40,000 students. The team’s presentations highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics-collectively known as the STEM fields-to the design and construction of the twin-span bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
What is Cashless Tolling, and when will it take effect on the Tappan Zee Bridge?    
A:
Beginning on April 23, 2016, the new cashless tolling system will allow motorists to pay their toll while maintaining highway speeds on the Tappan Zee Bridge. The system will collect tolls via E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail, detecting classes of vehicles and applying the correct charge.
If you have E-ZPass, your toll is collected using the same process that you are already familiar with. If you don’t have E-ZPass, cameras photograph your vehicle’s license plate as it passes under the overheard equipment. A bill is then automatically sent to the registered owner by U.S. Mail.
Get Your E-ZPass ® 

“On-the-Go”at the

 New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers

View the latest issues of the
New NY Bridge Magazine
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Follow Us on Twitter
and Instagram 

Call the Project Hotline
1-855-TZBRIDGE
(1-855-892-7434)

Westchester: 2 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY
Rockland: 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY
Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun: 11am-4pm

Visit the Project Website

Email Us
Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, Tarrytown, NY
Memorial Park, Nyack, NY
©2016 New York State Thruway Authority

The New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter_March

VIEW AS WEBPAGE

March 2016
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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Residents and other interested stakeholders are invited to attend Public Hearings to comment on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed Shared-Use Path Parking Facilities and Bicycle/Pedestrian Connections in the Villages of South Nyack and Tarrytown.

The New NY Bridge project has begun clearing the way for the construction of a state-of-the-art building that will be used for maintenance of the new three-mile crossing, which will carry billions of vehicles over the Hudson River during the next century.

This winter, volunteers from Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) are lending their time and talent to Habitat for Humanity of Westchester’s latest endeavor: top-to-bottom renovations of homes for Iraq War veterans and their families.

After months of steady progress on the main span towers, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) has begun installing enormous concrete crossbeams between the iconic towers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Will the bridge look exactly like the artist’s rendering that have been made public?   
A:
Yes, overall the general design of the bridge will look similar to the artist rendering but it is subject to refinement as part of the design-build process. A Visual Quality Panel has been established to gather and consider public input and make recommendations on such characteristics as surface finishes, colors, lighting design, landscaping, and the shared-use bike and pedestrian path.
Get Your E-ZPass® “On-the-Go”at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers
View the latest issues of the
New NY Bridge Quarterly Magazine
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Follow Us on Twitter

Call the Project Hotline
1-855-TZBRIDGE
(1-855-892-7434)

Westchester: 2 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY
Rockland: 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY
Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun: 11am-4pm

Visit the Project Website

Email Us
Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, Tarrytown, NY
Memorial Park, Nyack, NY
©2016 New York State Thruway Authority

The New NY Bridge February Newsletter!

February 2016
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ISSUE!

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) recently installed the 650th concrete road deck panel for the westbound span. TZC began placing the panels in early October and is on track to install an additional 6,000 panels by year’s end. The work is occurring on top of recently-installed steel-blue girders, which continue to advance across the Hudson River.

MAIN SPAN TOWERS REACH NEW MILESTONE

update

PROJECT UPDATE

For immediate release: Feb. 4, 2016

MAIN SPAN TOWERS REACH NEW MILESTONE
Overnight Lane and Ramp Closures on Southbound Thruway (I-87/I-287)

Next week, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will begin the installation of four precast concrete crossbeams that will connect the new bridge’s main span towers and support its future road deck. The crossbeams were fabricated by Coastal Precast Systems in Chesapeake, Virginia, and barged to the project site last week. The precast materials will be set in place with the I Lift NY super crane, one of the few marine cranes in the world capable of the massive job.

Demolition of Thruway Maintenance Facility
TZC will begin demolition of the New York State Thruway Authority’s former maintenance offices in Tarrytown. Bridge maintenance teams currently operate from a temporary facility near exit 12 in West Nyack. The demolition will make way for a new maintenance facility and office building, which will begin construction this spring.

All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Field testing of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland will continue throughout the coming week near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) and exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramps to the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287).

The testing will necessitate closing the on-ramps during the overnights of Thursday, Feb. 4, through Friday, Feb. 12. Drivers will be directed to use the exit 12 (West Nyack – NY Route 303 – Palisades Center Drive) on-ramp from Route 303 in West Nyack, as shown in the graphic below. Signs will be posted to advise motorists of the detour route.

In addition, the work will require overnight closures of up to three lanes of the southbound Thruway throughout the remainder of this week and during the coming week. Specific lane and ramp closure times are detailed in the chart below.

The AETC system is expected to be activated this spring.

 

 

UPDATE: ALL-ELECTRONIC TOLLING FACILITY WORK

For immediate release: Feb. 1, 2016

UPDATE: ALL-ELECTRONIC TOLLING FACILITY WORK
Multiple Overnight Lane and Ramp Closures on Southbound Thruway (I-87/I-287)

Field testing of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland is underway near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) and exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramps to the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287).

The testing will necessitate closing the on-ramps during the overnights of Monday, Feb. 1, and Wednesday, Feb. 3, through Sunday, Feb. 7. Drivers will be directed to use the exit 12 (West Nyack – NY Route 303 – Palisades Center Drive) on-ramp from Route 303 in West Nyack, as shown in the graphic below. Signs will be posted to advise motorists of the detour route.

In addition, the work will require overnight closures of up to three lanes of the southbound Thruway throughout the remainder of this week. Specific lane and ramp closure times are detailed in the chart below.

The AETC system is expected to be activated this spring.

Lane and Ramp Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Mon., 2/1 8 p.m. – Two right lanes
11 p.m. – Three right lanes
5 a.m., Tue., 2/2 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Mon., 2/1 9 p.m. – Ramp closures 5 a.m., Tue., 2/2 Southbound
exit 10 and 11 on-ramps
Wed., 2/3 8 p.m. – Two right lanes
11 p.m. – Three right lanes
5 a.m., Thu., 2/4 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Wed., 2/3 9 p.m. – Ramp closures 5 a.m., Thu., 2/4 Southbound
exit 10 and 11 on-ramps
Thu., 2/4 8 p.m. – Two right lanes
11 p.m. – Three right lanes
5 a.m., Fri., 2/5 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Thu., 2/4 9 p.m. – Ramp closures 5 a.m., Fri., 2/5 Southbound
exit 10 and 11 on-ramps
Fri., 2/5 8 p.m. – Two right lanes
12 a.m. – Three right lanes
6 a.m., Sat., 2/6 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Fri., 2/5 9 p.m. – Ramp closures 6 a.m., Sat., 2/6 Southbound
exit 10 and 11 on-ramps
Sat., 2/6 9 p.m. – Two right lanes
12 a.m. – Three right lanes
8 a.m., Sun., 2/7 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Sat., 2/6 9 p.m. – Ramp closures 6 a.m., Sun., 2/7 Southbound
exit 10 and 11 on-ramps
Sun., 2/7 10 p.m. – Two right lanes
1 a.m. – Three right lanes
5 a.m., Mon., 2/8 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Sun., 2/7 10 p.m. – Ramp closures 5 a.m., Mon 2/8 Southbound
exit 10 and 11 on-ramps

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

 

THE NEW NY BRIDGE MAGAZINE!

 

THE NEW NY BRIDGE MAGAZINE

Here at the New NY Bridge project, one of our priorities is keeping members of the community, like you, informed throughout the construction process. To that end, we would like to share our Winter 2016 Magazine,which chronicles the project’s latest developments.

In this issue:

  • Project Update: Substructure Nears Completion
  • Construction Update: Forging Strength
  • Educational Outreach: Inspiring Young Minds

 

Please enjoy the New NY Bridge Magazine.

 

READ COMPLETE MAGAZINE ONLINE HERE

Lanes Remain Open on TZ Bridge thru the Holiday week3end

For immediate release: Dec. 22, 2015

ALL LANES OF NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-87/I-287) WILL REMAIN OPEN FROM THURSDAY, DEC. 24 THROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 27 TO EASE HOLIDAY TRAVEL

All lanes of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) will remain open from Thursday, Dec. 24 through Sunday, Dec. 27 to help New Yorkers reach their winter holiday destinations. The four-day, lane-closure-free period follows Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s “Drivers First” initiative, which gives priority to motorists by ensuring that disruptions associated with highway and bridge projects are kept as minimal as possible.

While Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue working in several areas of the project during the week of Dec. 22, none of the work will impede traffic. No construction work is scheduled for Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25. Safety and security teams will remain on site throughout the holiday period.

All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland will continue this week near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound Thruway. The work will require overnight closures of two lanes of the southbound Thruway on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and Wednesday, Dec. 23. Specific lane closure times are detailed in the chart below.

Lane Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Tue., 12/22 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Wed., 12/23 Southbound I-87/I-287
from exit 12 to exit 10
Wed., 12/23 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Thu., 12/24 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10

Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack
Next week will see continued construction of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. The construction work involves drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

Additional work includes:

  • Main span tower construction
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Rockland landing retaining walls
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester landings utility work
  • Girder assembly placement
  • Bridge road deck installation

Boater Safety
Marine Units are continuing patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. The page includes an interactive GPS map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River, detailing which vessels are stopped and which are in motion to a new location for recreational and commercial boaters to get current information on the very active construction zone. The vessel tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

###

The New NY Bridge Newsletter for December

   The New NY Bridge Newsletter for December


As the installation of road deck panels continues into the fall and steel-blue girders extend even further out over the Hudson River, the New NY Bridge continues its steady march towards completion. Another sign of progress: the increasingly noticeable height of the main span towers, which are growing closer to their ultimate height of 419 feet.

Tappan Zee Bridge Project Update

update

For immediate release: Dec. 3, 2015

INSTALLATION OF CONCRETE ROAD DECK CONTINUES
Overnight Closure of Southbound Exit 10 On-Ramp on Monday, Dec. 7

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will begin installing bridge road deck segments near the Rockland shoreline on Thursday, Dec. 10. Project cranes will lift the prefabricated deck panels into place atop previously-installed structural steel girders.

Safely accomplishing the work will require reducing River Road/Piermont Avenue to one lane during weekdays starting on Thursday of next week. Flag persons will keep traffic moving by alternating the directional flow between north and south. TZC will also periodically hold traffic on River Road/Piermont Avenue for 6-minute intervals through Friday, Dec. 18 to enable the safe movement of deck panels and other materials.

Nearly 6,000 high-strength concrete deck panels will be installed for the new crossing’s approach spans. The panels are prefabricated at an off-site location and barged down river from the project’s Port of Coeymans facility in Albany County. TZC will continue installing the approach span deck sections across the river over the coming year.

All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland will continue near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287). The work will necessitate closing the on-ramp during the overnight of Monday, Dec. 7. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the graphic below. This and other work require the specific lane and ramp closures detailed in the chart below.

Lane and Ramp Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Thu., 12/3 8 p.m. – One left lane
9 p.m. – Two left lanes
5 a.m., Fri., 12/4 Southbound I-87/I-287
from exit 11 to exit 10
Fri., 12/4 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Sat., 12/5 Southbound
from exit 11 to exit 10
Mon., 12/7 7 p.m. – One right lane
8 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Tue., 12/8 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Mon., 12/7 9 p.m. – Ramp closure 5 a.m., Tue., 12/8 Southbound
exit 10 on-ramp
Wed., 12/9 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Thu., 12/10 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Thu., 12/10 8 p.m. – One left lane
9 p.m. – Two left lanes
5 a.m., Fri., 12/11 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Fri., 12/11 8 p.m. – One left lane
9 p.m. – Two left lanes
5 a.m., Sat., 12/12 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10

Steel Girder Installation
Next week, TZC will continue installing structural steel girder assemblies from the new bridge’s Westchester landing in Tarrytown. The assemblies will connect the future westbound span’s on-land abutment to the first offshore support pier in the Hudson River. TZC is installing the girders by literally pushing them west over the Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line’s tracks toward the first pier in the river, as seen in this animation. As the operation progresses, additional girders are being connected to the assembly and pushed farther westward. TZC is closely coordinating the effort with Metro-North Railroad, ensuring that the operation maximizes safety for both workers and the public and minimizes impacts to rail service.

The remaining work over the Metro-North tracks will occur during a Friday overnight later this month, with the entire operation anticipated to conclude by the end of the year. Metro-North has adjusted its schedule slightly to allow the work to be completed. TZC will suspend construction activities when commuter trains pass through the area, resuming when given the “all clear” instruction by Metro-North.

The I Lift NY super crane will continue placing larger girder assemblies across the river, averaging two placements a week. A total of 31 miles of steel girders cumulatively weighing more than 100,000 tons will be installed for the new twin-span bridge.

Tower Construction
Construction will continue on the new bridge’s iconic towers, which will eventually rise 419 feet above the river. Innovative self-climbing jump forms enable TZC workers to build the towers in segments that progressively “jump” up from the foundations to their full height. Within the jump forms, workers assemble steel reinforcement cages that are then encased in concrete, one segment atop the previous one and so on. Eight towers will be constructed on the project’s football-field-long main span pile caps over the coming year, as seen in this animation.

Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack
Next week will see continued construction of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. The construction work involves drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

Additional work includes:

  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Rockland landing retaining walls
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester landings utility work

Boater Safety
Marine Units are continuing patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. The page includes an interactive GPS map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River, detailing which vessels are stopped and which are in motion to a new location for recreational and commercial boaters to get current information on the very active construction zone. The vessel tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

###

PROJECT UPDATE – WESTCHESTER GIRDER INSTALLATION

update

For immediate release: Nov. 19, 2015

WESTCHESTER GIRDER INSTALLATION OVER METRO-NORTH RAILROAD TRACKS CONTINUES THIS FRIDAY EVENING
Overnight Closures of the I-87/I-287 Exit 10 On-Ramp Scheduled for Nov. 19 and Nov. 20

Next week, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue installing structural steel girder assemblies from the new bridge’s Westchester landing in Tarrytown. The assemblies will connect the future westbound span’s on-land abutment to the first offshore support pier in the Hudson River. TZC is installing the girders by literally pushing them west over the Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line’s tracks toward the first pier in the river, as seen in this animation. As the operation progresses, additional girders are being connected to the assembly and pushed farther westward. TZC is closely coordinating the effort with Metro-North Railroad, ensuring that the operation maximizes safety for both workers and the public and minimizes impacts to rail service.

With the entire operation anticipated to conclude by the end of the year, the remaining work over the Metro-North tracks will occur during two Friday overnights, with the next scheduled for this Friday evening, Nov. 20. Metro-North has adjusted its schedule slightly to allow the work to be completed. TZC will suspend construction activities when commuter trains pass through the area, resuming when given the “all clear” instruction by Metro-North.

Across the river, TZC has completed steel girder installation near the Rockland shoreline, connecting the new bridge’s abutment to already-installed support structures in the Hudson River.

The I Lift NY super crane will continue placing larger girders across the river, averaging two placements a week. A total of 31 miles of steel girders cumulatively weighing more than 100,000 tons will be installed for the new twin-span bridge.

All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland will continue near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287). The work will necessitate closing the on-ramp during the overnights of Thursday, Nov. 19 and Friday, Nov. 20. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the graphic below. No lane closures are planned for this work next week.

Ramp Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Thu., 11/19 9 p.m. – Ramp Closure 5 a.m., Fri., 11/20 Southbound I-87/I-287
exit 10 on-ramp
Fri., 11/20 9 p.m. – Ramp Closure 5 a.m., Sat., 11/21 Southbound
exit 10 on-ramp

Tower Construction
Construction will continue on the new bridge’s iconic towers, which will eventually rise 419 feet above the river. Innovative self-climbing jump forms enable TZC workers to build the towers in segments that progressively “jump” up from the foundations to their full height. Within the jump forms, workers assemble steel reinforcement cages that are then encased in concrete, one segment atop the previous one and so on. Eight towers will be constructed on the project’s football-field-long main span pile caps over the coming year, as seen in this animation.

Deck Panel Installation
TZC is continuing to install nearly 6,000 high-strength concrete deck segments for the new crossing’s approach spans. Project cranes are lifting the prefabricated deck panels into place atop previously-installed structural steel girders. The deck segments are prefabricated at an off-site location and barged down river from the project’s Port of Coeymans facility in Albany County. TZC will continue installing the approach span deck sections over the coming year.

Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack
Next week will see continued removal of the noise walls located along the northbound Thruway and the construction of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road in South Nyack. The work involves drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

Additional work includes:

  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester landings utility work

Boater Safety
Westchester and Rockland Marine Units are continuing extensive patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

###

Project Update: Electronic Tolling System Requires Overnight Closures

For immediate release: Nov. 12, 2015

THRUWAY UNVEILS UPDATED PROJECT WEBSITE
All-Electronic Tolling System Work Requires Overnight Closure of Exit 10 On-Ramp on Friday, Nov. 20

The New York State Thruway Authority launched an updated NewNYBridge.com this week, featuring an easier-to-navigate interface, a comprehensive archive of project photos, videos and renderings, and a wealth of background information covering how the new crossing was studied and designed and is being built. Visit the new site and check back frequently for the latest updates on the fast-moving construction progress.

Steel Girder Installation
Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue installing steel girders near the Rockland shoreline, connecting the new bridge’s abutment to already-installed support structures in the Hudson River. Safely accomplishing the work will require reducing River Road/Piermont Avenue to one lane during weekdays between 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Flag persons will keep traffic moving by alternating the directional flow between north and south. TZC also will hold traffic on River Road once daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for up to 20 minutes through Wednesday, Nov. 18 to enable the safe movement of girders and other materials.

Across the river, TZC will continue installing structural steel girder assemblies from the new bridge’s Westchester landing in Tarrytown. The assemblies will connect the future westbound span’s on-land abutment to the first offshore support pier in the Hudson River. TZC is installing the girders by literally pushing them west over the Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line’s tracks toward the first pier in the river, as seen in this animation. As the operation progresses, additional girders are being connected to the assembly and pushed farther westward. TZC is closely coordinating the effort with Metro-North, ensuring that the operation maximizes safety for both workers and the public and minimizes impacts to rail service.

With the entire operation anticipated to conclude by the end of the year, the remaining work over the Metro-North tracks will occur during two Friday overnights, one in November and one in December. The work will be announced in advance to enable Metro-North riders to plan ahead. Metro-North has adjusted its schedule slightly to allow the work to be completed. TZC will suspend construction activities when trains pass through the area, resuming when given the “all clear” instruction by Metro-North.

Additionally, the I Lift NY super crane will continue placing larger girders across the Hudson River, averaging two placements a week. A total of 31 miles of steel girders cumulatively weighing more than 100,000 tons will be installed for the new twin-span bridge.

All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland will continue near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287). The work will necessitate closing the on-ramp during the overnight of Friday, Nov. 20. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the graphic below. The work also requires double-lane closures during weekday overnights from Monday, Nov. 16 through Thursday, Nov. 19. This and other work require the specific lane and ramp closures detailed in the chart below.

Lane and Ramp Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Thu., 11/12 8 p.m. – One left lane
9 p.m. – Two left lanes
6 a.m., Fri., 11/13 Southbound I-87/I-287
from exit 12 to exit 10
Fri., 11/13 8 p.m. – One left lane
9 p.m. – Two left lanes
6 a.m., Sat., 11/14 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Mon., 11/16 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Tue., 11/17 Southbound
5 a.m., Tue., 11/17
Tue. 11/17 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Wed., 11/18 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Wed., 11/18 8 p.m. – One left lane
9 p.m. – Two left lanes
5 a.m., Thu., 11/19 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Thu., 11/19 8 p.m. – One left lane
9 p.m. – Two left lanes
5 a.m., Fri., 11/20 Southbound
from exit 12 to exit 10
Fri., 11/20 9 p.m. – Ramp closure 5 a.m., Sat., 11/21 Southbound
exit 10 on-ramp

Tower Construction
Construction will continue on the new bridge’s iconic towers, which will eventually rise 419 feet above the river. Innovative self-climbing jump forms enable TZC workers to build the towers in segments that progressively “jump” up from the foundations to their full height. Within the jump forms, workers assemble steel reinforcement cages that are then encased in concrete, one segment atop the previous one and so on. Eight towers will be constructed on the project’s football-field-long main span pile caps over the coming year, as seen in this animation.

Deck Panel Installation
TZC is continuing to install nearly 6,000 high-strength concrete deck segments for the new crossing’s approach spans. Project cranes are lifting the prefabricated deck panels into place atop previously-installed structural steel girders. The deck segments are prefabricated at an off-site location and barged down river from the project’s Port of Coeymans facility in Albany County. TZC will continue installing the approach span deck sections over the coming year.

Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack
Next week will see continued construction of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road in South Nyack. The work involves drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

Additional work includes:

  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester landings utility work

Boater Safety
Westchester and Rockland Marine Units are continuing extensive patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

###

The New NY Bridge November 2015 Newsletter

November 2015
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
Forward   |    Home   |    Archives 

As more and more piers are connected by steel-blue girder assemblies, the New NY Bridge project’s iconic towers continue to advance skyward.

As the summer turns to fall in the Lower Hudson Valley, progress continues to march forward on the New NY Bridge project. More and more of the high strength structural steel-blue girder assemblies are being placed across the Hudson River by Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC), largely with the help of the massive I Lift NY super crane. At both shorelines, however-where shallow waters prevent the use of the super crane-alternate methods were necessary, including the use of construction platforms. The Westchester landing posed a further shoreline challenge: how to safely install the girders over the Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line tracks?

While most of the new bridge’s steel-blue girder assemblies are being placed across the Hudson River with the barge-based I Lift NY super crane, the location from the Westchester landing to the first pier in the river is inaccessible to the monumental machine. Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC is using an innovative yet simple alternative method to install the girders in this area, as detailed in this video.

New NY Bridge fans looking for a firsthand view of construction from the Rockland shoreline now have a “front row seat” to the action. Nyack’s new fishing pier at Memorial Park is now open and offers spectators a sweeping view of the Hudson River and the bustling project site.

After successfully installing structural steel girders between the Westchester abutment and a nearby pier, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) moved forward with the next stage of operations this week. In a remarkable feat of engineering, crews carefully pushed the massive steel-blue materials further west, over the Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line and toward the next pier in the Hudson River.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Why does the current Tappan Zee Bridge need to be replaced? 
A:
The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge opened to traffic in 1955 and is a vital artery for residents, commuters, travelers, and commercial traffic. The bridge, which was designed to carry up to 100,000 vehicles per day, currently handles an average of 138,000 daily, and traffic congestion and delays are regular occurrences. Heavy traffic, narrow lanes and the lack of emergency shoulders contribute to congestion and frustration for motorists and can create unsafe driving conditions. As a result, the bridge has twice the average accident rate per mile as the rest of the 574-mile Thruway system. In recent years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to maintain and repair the bridge. If the current bridge were not being replaced, the state would need to spend an additional $3 to $4 billion over the next 20 years to ensure its structural integrity.

The New NY Bridge Newsletter October 2015

October 2015
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
Forward   |    Home   |    Archives 

Building on remarkable construction achievements so far, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) is now beginning work on the new bridge’s striking main span towers. Utilizing self-climbing jump forms, TZC will construct the 419-foot towers in continuously-rising segments throughout the coming year.

In addition to employing more than 3,000 people to date, the nation’s largest bridge and highway project is enlisting the talents of the next generation of engineers, designers and builders. Through ongoing college internship programs, both the New York State Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC are engaging bright young minds to learn from, and contribute to, the New NY Bridge project.

Bridge builders are using 3D technology to create the New NY Bridge in a virtual world. By utilizing state-of-the-art building information modeling (BIM), designers can handle an astonishing amount of information with the utmost efficiency.

The New NY Bridge project educational outreach initiative recently kicked off its third year with a focus on the teamwork and innovation required to build the nation’s largest bridge and highway project. As in previous years, the outreach team will engage students throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond, visiting classrooms and hosting outdoor lectures at the project’s construction viewing platforms in Rockland and Westchester counties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Will the bridge look exactly like the artist’s renderings that have been made public? 
A:
The design of the bridge is subject to refinement as part of the design-build process. A Visual Quality Panel has been established to gather and consider public input and make recommendations on such characteristics as surface finishes, colors, lighting design, landscaping, and the shared-use bike and pedestrian path.
Get Your E-ZPass® “On-the-Go”at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers
View the latest issues of the New NY Bridge Quarterly Magazine
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates

Project Update: ICONIC BRIDGE TOWERS CONTINUE RISING

For immediate release: Sept. 10, 2015

ICONIC BRIDGE TOWERS CONTINUE RISING
Preparations for Girder Placement to Temporarily Reduce River Road to One Lane

Next week, the new bridge’s towers will continue rising toward their ultimate height of 419 feet, thanks to self-climbing jump forms. The state-of-the-art forms enable Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) workers to build the towers in segments that progressively “jump” up from the foundations to their full height. Within the jump forms, workers assemble steel reinforcement cages that are then encased in concrete, one segment atop the previous one and so on. Eight towers will be constructed on the project’s football-field-long main span pile caps over the coming year, as seen in this animation.

Structural Steel Installation
In preparation for the placement of the new bridge’s westernmost steel girders over River Road in South Nyack, TZC will reduce River Road to one lane between 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday of next week. Flag persons will keep traffic moving by alternating the directional flow between north and south.

The installation of girders over the river will continue next week and beyond. Smaller girder sections will be lifted into place by cranes from the Rockland trestle near the South Nyack shoreline. Ironworkers then bolt together the steel-blue girders and cross beams that support the new bridge’s concrete road deck. The I Lift NY super crane will continue placing larger girders, averaging two placements a week. A total of 31 miles of steel girders cumulatively weighing more than 100,000 tons will be installed for the new twin-span bridge.

All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection system in Rockland County is continuing with the installation of roadway sensors during the week of Sept. 14.

Specific lane and ramp closure times are listed in the chart below.

I-287/I-87 Lane and Ramp Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Fri., 9/11 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
6 a.m., Sat., 9/12 Southbound
from exits 12 to 10
Mon., 9/14 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
6 a.m., Tue., 9/15 Southbound
from exits 12 to 10
Tue., 9/15 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
6 a.m., Wed., 9/16 Southbound
from exits 12 to 10
Wed., 9/16 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
6 a.m., Thu., 9/17 Southbound
from exits 12 to 10
Thu., 9/17 9 p.m. – One right lane
10 p.m. – Two right lanes
6 a.m., Fri, 9/18 Southbound
from exits 12 to 10
Fri., 9/18 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
6 a.m., Sat., 9/19 Southbound
from exits 12 to 10

Dredging Operations
TZC will continue the second stage of dredging operations near the Westchester shoreline next week as part of the preparation for removing the existing bridge and completing the landing of the new southern span. Dredging is allowed during a three-month period from August 1 to October 31 in specified locations and will be conducted 24/7 to complete the required dredging during the short window of time. The window was established to avoid impacting migration and spawning patterns of endangered sturgeon and other fish species.

Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack
Next week will see continued installation of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road in South Nyack. The work involves drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

Additional work includes:

  • Landing abutment concrete work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester landings utility work

Boater Safety
Westchester and Rockland Marine Units are continuing extensive patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

###

 

 
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Steel Girder Installation Continues

For immediate release: August 20, 2015

STEEL GIRDER INSTALLATION CONTINUES NEAR THE ROCKLAND LANDING

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue installing structural steel girders for the New NY Bridge project next week. Smaller girder sections will be lifted into place by cranes from the Rockland trestle near the South Nyack shoreline. Local ironworkers will then bolt together the steel blue girders and cross beams that will support the new bridge’s concrete road deck.

In addition, the I Lift NY super crane will continue placing larger girder assemblies next week and beyond, averaging two placements a week. A total of 31 miles of steel girders cumulatively weighing more than 100,000 tons will be installed for the new twin-span bridge.

Two northbound lanes of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) will be closed during the overnights of Monday, August 24 and Tuesday, August 25 across the existing Tappan Zee Bridge to facilitate surveying efforts.

I-287/I-87 Lane and Ramp Closures on the Tappan Zee Bridge

DATE: CLOSURES BEGIN: CLOSURES END: LOCATION:
Mon., 8/24 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Tue., 8/25 Northbound Across the
Tappan Zee Bridge
Tue., 8/25 8 p.m. – One right lane
9 p.m. – Two right lanes
5 a.m., Wed., 8/26 Northbound Across the
Tappan Zee Bridge

Dredging Operations Continue
TZC will continue the second stage of dredging operations near the Westchester shoreline as part of the preparation for removing the existing bridge and completing the landing of the new southern span. Dredging is allowed during a three-month period from August 1 to October 31 in specified locations and will be conducted 24/7 to complete the required dredging during the short window of time. The window was established to avoid impacting migration and spawning patterns of endangered sturgeon and other fish species.

Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack
Next week also will see continued installation of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road in S. Nyack. The work will involve drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

Additional work includes:

  • Pile cap foundation construction
  • Placement of Steel Girder assemblies
  • Dredging
  • Main span foundation construction
  • Landing abutment concrete work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester landings utility work

Boater Safety
During the summer months, Westchester and Rockland Marine Units will add extra patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

 

New NY Bridge Project August 2015 Monthly Newsletter

An Aerial Tour:

Photos From Above Show Major Progress


The incredible progress on the New NY Bridge project is becoming more and more visible every day. Residents are literally seeing engineering history in the making. As part of their design-build contract with the New York State Thruway Authority, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) is documenting the construction using both still photography and video. TZC regularly uses a helicopter to get a bird’s eye view of the worksite and you can now see the new twin-span bridge rising out of the Hudson River in this slideshow.

READ MORE

As travelers approach the Tappan Zee Bridge from Rockland County, they will soon get a glimpse of the future: An overhead gantry and related equipment is being installed at exit 10 on the southbound New York State Thruway in South Nyack for a temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) facility. Following a series of tests this fall, the system will be activated in spring 2016, enabling motorists to pay their toll while maintaining highway speeds. Like the Model-T and the 8-track tape player, the inconvenience of stopping or slowing down to pay a toll soon will be a thing of the past.

 

READ MORE

Over 60 million pounds of steel bars will fortify the new bridge, more than three times as much steel as is in the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris. Each of the reinforcing steel bars, called rebar, is treated through a process called “hot-dip galvanization” that provides additional protection against rusting.

 

 READ MORE

By the sweat of their brow, construction workers have made impressive progress on the New NY Bridge project. But with near triple digit temperatures increasingly becoming the norm, keeping more than 1,000 workers on the Hudson River at any given time hydrated is of paramount importance.

 

READ MORE

Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
What will happen to the current bridge? 
A:
The current Tappan Zee Bridge will be carefully dismantled, and the structural steel will be recycled. The concrete deck panels, which have been replaced in recent years, will be reused where possible on other Thruway and state Department of Transportation projects.
Get Your E-ZPass® “On-the-Go”at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers
View the latest issues of the New NY Bridge Quarterly Magazine
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Follow Us on Twitter

@NewNYBridge

Call the Project Hotline

1-855-TZBRIDGE

(1-855-892-7434)

Community Outreach Centers

Westchester: 2 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY

Rockland: 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY

Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun: 11am-4pm

Visit the Project Website
Email Us
Construction Viewing Platform

Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, Tarrytown, NY

Next to the Tarrytown Senior Center at
240 West Main St.

©2015 New York State Thruway Authority

Tappan Zee Bridge Zipper’s days are numbered

A big yellow bus ran into the wall on the Tappan Zee Bridge, the caller tells the 911 operator.

“It’s not a bus. It’s us,” says Richie Lynch of Valley Cottage, one of the drivers of the barrier-moving machine that is still a strange sight for the uninitiated, even 22 years after first arriving on the bridge. Callers regularly report the vehicle as an accident in progress, Lynch says.

“Some people drive by and take pictures,” says Lynch, who has worked on the bridge for 25 years. “We get a lot of thumbs-ups for giving them the extra lane. And we get a different salute when we’re running late.”

Some call it “The Zipper” — because it acts like a zipper does, sliding the barrier from one spot to another — but Lynch and the four other members of the barrier team just call it “the barrier mover.”

Whatever the name, the 52-foot-long, million-dollar vehicle is now part of the bridge, a welcome sight for bumper-to-bumper commuters on whom it bestows a somewhat speedier ride through the Tappan Zee bottleneck, creating four lanes where there were three. It makes about 600 crossings a year.

In January, a Zipper was added to San Francisco’s storied Golden Gate Bridge. But the Tappan Zee Zipper’s days are numbered.

In December 2016, northbound traffic is scheduled to transfer to the new northbound span of the New New York Bridge. The two barrier movers — there’s an extra on standby, swapped in during maintenance — will be sold and will enter the lore of the Tappan Zee, alongside those pre-EZPass commutation booklets.

VIDEO BELOW: Ride inside the Zipper  

ALSO: What do the new TZ Bridge and a NASCAR track have in common? 

The Zippers — the second-generation of vehicle by California-based Lindsay Transportation Systems, in use since 2007 — move the wall 12 feet to the right, the width of a travel lane, in one fluid motion with every trip across the bridge. It used to take two machines to make the move.

The wall itself is second-generation, too. The original had concrete sections; today’s sections — there are 6,000 of them, each 3 feet long — are T-shaped steel shells with a concrete center.

There is so much more going on than meets the eye when the Tappan Zee Zipper is in motion. The barrier is shaped and reformed through hydraulics and an ingenious machine that acts like a chiropractor on a 3-mile-long Tappan Zee spine, adjusting and releasing tension in the wall — and in rush-hour traffic.

Driving and laying: The Zipper doesn’t drag the wall. It lifts it, snakes it through a double row of wheels in its undercarriage, and places it back on the deck. In a sort of push-me-pull-you configuration, a second driver — facing the shore from which the Zipper departed — “lays” the barrier back in position by keeping a wheel on one of the blue lines on the pavement.

“When you drive on it, all you’re doing is engaging it on the wheels and lifting it up,” Lynch says. “When it gets to the middle of the machine, that’s where it starts to shift it to the other side, and then the conveyor takes it down and sets it back onto the deck.”

“Bogey wheels:” The 104 wheels that engage the T-top and lift the barrier are called “bogey wheels” and glide the barrier up a railing under the vehicle and help it snake into its new position.

A “wow” in the wall: Ernie Feeney, a patrol supervisor and another original Zipper driver, says the wall sometimes gets a kink in it, when a motorist hits it.

“We call it a ‘wow,'” Feeney says. “Maybe somebody spun out and hit the wall. The wall gives now because it’s a giant centipede so your car doesn’t get totally wrecked like it used to be if you had a solid cement wall. A lot of people now just drive off with minor damage.”

When the barrier machine comes across, if there’s just a little “wow” in the wall, they can just drive straight through it. A bigger accident requires a wrecker and a push bar to get it close to its natural line.

Stop the Zipper: There are things that will stop the barrier in its tracks, Lynch says. “If there’s a jumper in the middle of the move, we’ll stop. If there’s a bad accident or if there’s an accident in the left lane or the two left lanes, sometimes we’ll bring the wall up to it and stop to protect them.”

Migration lines: Like rush-hour commuters, the barrier is under tension. There are yellow lines on the wall that correspond to lines on the deck. If these migration lines don’t line up, the Zipper driver can adjust huge capstan wheels to add or release tension in the wall to pull or push it back in line.

Hydraulics, Benjamin: “It’s all done by hydraulics,” Lynch says. “Your steering, your brakes, the drive motors, it’s all hydraulics. And those lines and fittings need to be checked every day to make sure they’re not leaking.”

Every 20 feet or so on the flat sections (and farther away on the inclines) there are single open-topped T sections. These “VLB sections” actually control the tension in strands of the barrier. They have hydraulic controls in them and open and close to allow strands of the wall to go slack and be moved. Think of it as pulling a 3-mile-long rope 20 feet at a time. On curves, there are more VLB sections to hold the curve in place until the machine reaches it.

No connection: The barrier mover isn’t connected to the wall. It has to drive onto the wall. When he’s driving, Lynch keeps a control bar centered over the wall ahead of him.

3 miles, 30 minutes: The move takes about 35 to 40 minutes, if the wall is in good shape. “If there’s more tension or compression, it might take a little longer because you have to go through it slower to make the adjustments,” Lynch says.

U-turns possible: Eagle-eyed drivers will notice three 45-foot sections of bridge where the T-tops appear to be hollow. There are three spots on the bridge — near either end and in the middle — where the barrier can be opened to allow for a U-turn.

Hello, I must be going: “The men and all of us are going to miss it,” Lynch says. “And I think the public’s gonna miss it, too. It’s nice to have an extra lane when you need it.”

NYS Thruway employee Rich Lynch drives the barrier-moving machine across the Tappan Zee Bridge, adding a lane northbound. Tania Savayan/The Journal News

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/tappan-zee-bridge/2015/07/16/tappan-zee-bridge-zipper-days-numbered/30142559/

The New NY Bridge July Newsletter

July 2015
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
Forward   |    Home   |    Archives 

Heavy Metal:

Bridge Starts Taking Shape with Installation of First Section of Structural Steel


Following months of careful planning and with the use of the project’s king of cranes, the New NY Bridge team installed the span’s first section of structural steel on June 17: a 410-foot segment of welded girders that will support the road deck.

READ MORE

With the 2015 recreational boating season hitting full stride this weekend as boaters celebrate Independence Day on the water, the New NY Bridge project team and local law enforcement officials remain committed to helping all boaters navigate safely near the work area. Boaters are reminded to be extra vigilant around commercial vessels and the construction zone, especially the no-wake low-speed zone at the Tappan Zee Bridge.

 

READ MORE

Oyster reefs were once a predominant feature of the Hudson River, supporting vast and diverse communities of aquatic life. But past decades of pollution and overharvesting led to a decline in oyster populations in the area to near-extinction. In recent years, however, there have been promising signs of recovery.

 

 READ MORE

The addition of a third floating concrete batch plant this week enables the New NY Bridge project to shift into an even higher gear. Capable of delivering 180 cubic yards of concrete per hour – more than twice as much as the initial two batch plants combined – the new mixing platform will supply concrete for the new bridge’s remaining foundations and piers as well as its 419-foot towers, which will begin later this summer.

 

READ MORE

After a stunningly beautiful trip down the Hudson River, the first 12′ tall, 400′ long section of structural steel arrived at the New NY Bridge construction site on Thursday June 10, 2015. The girder sections, weighing up to 1,100 tons are assembled at the Port of Coeymans in Albany County and then barged to the project site. The trip can take from 12 to 20 hours depending on weather, tides and other conditions. The individual steel girders, totaling 31 miles in length before assembly, are all made in the USA and will support the road deck of the new twin span bridge. The girders will be set in place by the I Lift NY crane in the coming days.

 

 READ MORE

Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
How can my company apply for subcontracting work on the project?
A:
Businesses interested in obtaining contracts for the New NY Bridge project should reach out to Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC through the TZC website, TappanZeeConstructors.com.
Get Your E-ZPass® “On-the-Go”at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers
View the latest issues of the New NY Bridge Quarterly Magazine
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Follow Us on Twitter

@NewNYBridge

Call the Project Hotline

1-855-TZBRIDGE

(1-855-892-7434)

Community Outreach Centers

Westchester: 2 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY

Rockland: 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY

Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun: 11am-4pm

Visit the Project Website
Email Us
Construction Viewing Platform

Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, Tarrytown, NY

Next to the Tarrytown Senior Center at
240 West Main St.

©2015 New York State Thruway Authority

Holiday Traffic Update

update

For immediate release: July 1, 2015

NO LANE CLOSURES SCHEDULED ON NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT OVER INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND

Multiple Lane Closures During the Overnights of the Week of July 6

In observance of the Independence Day holiday, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will suspend most construction activities over the Fourth of July weekend. Security and limited maintenance operations will continue throughout the project site. In accordance with New York State’s Drivers First initiative, no construction related lane closures are scheduled on or near the New NY Bridge project site from Thursday morning, July 2 to Monday night, July 6. Drivers First, launched in 2012, prioritizes the convenience of motorists to ensure that traffic disruptions are as minimal as possible for drivers at highway and bridge construction projects across the state.

Boater Safety With the 2015 boating season in full swing, the New NY Bridge project team urges all boaters to use caution on the Hudson River near the construction zone and to take advantage of the extensive safety-related information available on the project website including the 2015 New NY Bridge Boater Safety Guide.

Enhanced marine law enforcement patrols are in effect for the Independence Day holiday weekend. The U.S. Coast Guard, Westchester and Rockland County marine units will be patrolling the area urging all boaters to use caution and follow all safety regulations.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

Following the Holiday, Multiple-Lane Closures and Periodic Traffic Stops During the Overnights of Monday, July 6 through Friday, July 10 During the overnight of Monday, July 6, lane restriping operations will require triple-lane closures of the northbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) from exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – US Route 9) to exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). Specific lane closure times are listed in the chart below.

At least one lane will remain open at all times, except during periodic traffic stops lasting up to 10 minutes of all four lanes of the northbound Thruway near exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). To ensure the public’s safety, the New York State Police will stop and hold all traffic approaching the area immediately before the traffic stops go into effect. Motorists will be permitted to enter the Thruway from all ramps during the traffic stops.

Additionally the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) off-ramp from the northbound Thruway will also be closed during the overnight of Monday, July 6. Drivers will be directed to use exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) as shown below:

During the overnight of Tuesday, July 7, construction operations will require overnight double-lane closures of the northbound Thruway from exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – US Route 9) to exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). Specific lane closure times are listed in the chart below.

At least one lane will remain open at all times, except during periodic traffic stops lasting up to 10 minutes of all four lanes of the northbound Thruway near exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W.

During the overnights of Wednesday, July 8 through Friday, July 10, construction operations will require triple-lane closures of the southbound Thruway in the area of exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). Specific lane closure times are listed in the chart below.

Additionally the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound Thruway will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the overnights of Tuesday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 8. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the following graphic.

Lane closures throughout the coming week are scheduled as follows:

I-287/I-87 Lane and Ramp Closures near the Tappan Zee Bridge
Date: Closures Begin: Closures End: Location:
Mon, 7/6 8 p.m. – One left lane

9 p.m. – Two left lanes

11 p.m. – Three left lanes

4:30 a.m., Tue, 7/7 Northbound,
from exit 9 to exit 11
Mon, 7/6 8 p.m. – Ramp closure 4:30 a.m., Tue, 7/7 Northbound,
exit 10 off-ramp
Tues, 7/7 8 p.m. – One left lane

9 p.m. – Two left lanes

4:30 a.m., Wed, 7/8 Northbound,
from exit 9 to exit 11
Tue, 7/7 8 p.m. – Ramp closure 4:30 a.m., Wed, 7/8 Southbound,

exit 10 on-ramp

Wed, 7/8 8 p.m. – One left lane

9 p.m. – Two left lanes

11 p.m. – Three left lanes

5 a.m., Thu, 7/9 Southbound,
from exit 10 to exit 11
Wed, 7/8 8 p.m. – Ramp Closure 4:30 a.m., Wed, 7/8 Southbound,

exit 10 on-ramp

Thu, 7/9 8 p.m. – One left lane

9 p.m. – Two left lanes

11 p.m. – Three left lanes

5 a.m., Fri 7/10 Southbound,
from exit 10 to exit 11
Fri, 7/10 9 p.m. – One left lane

10 p.m. – Two left lanes

11 p.m. – Three left lanes

6 a.m., Sat 7/11 Southbound,
from exit 10 to exit 11

All planned work is subject to postponement due to weather conditions.

Steel Girder Assemblies As piers are finalized in the coming weeks and months, steel girder assemblies for the approach span of the new bridge will continue being installed by the I Lift NY super crane.

Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack Next week will see continued installation of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. The work will involve drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

River Road in South Nyack River Road utility work will continue over the coming week. The work may require reducing River Road to one lane at times. TZC flag persons will direct traffic as needed and additional signage as well as other safety measures will be in place.

Foundation Work on the New Bridge Marine crews are continuing work on bridge foundations next week by placing reinforcing steel and concrete in the piles, main span pile caps and approach span pile caps. The high-strength concrete is made on site by the project’s floating batch plants. Teams also will erect formwork for the cast-in-place pier columns, which eventually will support the new bridge’s road deck.

Crews also will continue working on the bridge’s landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.

Additionally, TZC will continue concrete placement for bridge foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and is delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the Thruway’s southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.

Additional work includes:

  • Girder installation
  • Pile cap foundation construction
  • Main span foundation construction
  • Landing abutment concrete work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester Landings utility work

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

TZ Bridge Traffic Updates For the Week of June 15, 2015

update

For immediate release: June 12, 2015

CONSTRUCTION STARTING ON NOISE BARRIERS ALONG SOUTHBOUND NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-87/I-287) IN SOUTH NYACK

After months of preparation, crews will begin installing foundations for noise barriers along the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. The work will involve drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.

Continued Overnight Triple-Lane Closures of Southbound Thruway
Weekday overnight triple-lane closures of the southbound Thruway will occur from Monday night, June 15 through Saturday morning, June 20. Closures will start at 8 p.m. with the closing of one lane near exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) to the Tappan Zee Bridge, followed by a second lane at 9 p.m. and a third at 11 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 6 a.m. the following weekday. The closures on Friday, June 19 will start with a single lane at 9 p.m., a second lane at 11 p.m. and a third at 11:59 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 8 a.m., Saturday, June 20.

Triple-lane closures of the southbound Thruway in the same area also are planned for the overnight of Saturday, June 13, with a single lane closing at 7 p.m., followed by a second lane at 11 p.m. and a third at 1 a.m., Sunday, June 14. All lanes will reopen by 11 a.m., Sunday, June 14.

All planned work is subject to postponement due to weather conditions.

Single-Lane Closures of Northbound Thruway During Morning Commuting Periods on June 18 and 19
Single-lane closures of the northbound Thruway will occur on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19. The closures will start at 5 a.m. near the Tappan Zee Bridge to exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). The lane will reopen by 2 p.m. both days.

River Road in South Nyack
River Road utility work will continue during the week of June 15. The work may require reducing River Road to one lane at times. TZC flag persons will direct traffic as needed and additional signage as well as other safety measures will be in place.

Foundation Work on the New Bridge
Marine crews are continuing work on bridge foundations next week by placing reinforcing steel and concrete in the piles, main span pile caps and approach span pile caps. The high-strength concrete is made on site by the project’s floating batch plants. Teams also will erect formwork for the cast-in-place pier columns, which eventually will support the new bridge’s road deck.

Crews also will continue working on the bridge’s landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.

Construction of pier 1 located near River Road in South Nyack will continue with the installation of sheet piles. The sheet piles support the surrounding soil while the foundation for the new bridge pier is constructed. Pile driving is restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday. TZC is implementing noise-reducing measures, including sound-absorptive temporary noise barriers, to protect nearby residents. The project’s environmental compliance team will be on site to monitor noise levels during the operation.

Additionally, TZC will continue concrete placement for bridge foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and is delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the Thruway’s southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.

Additional work includes:

  • Pile cap foundation construction
  • Main span foundation construction
  • Landing abutment concrete work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester Landings utility work

Boater Safety
During the summer months, Westchester and Rockland Marine Units will add extra patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.
Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

June 2015 New NY Bridge Newsletter

June 2015
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
Forward   |    Home   |    Archives 

The Votes Are In, Tappan Zee Falcon Chicks Are ‘Hudson, Bridge-ette and Zee’:

A Day After Being Named, Falcon Chicks Make Inaugural Flights


Following a week-long campaign in which more than 3,000 ballots were cast, the New NY Bridge project is pleased to announce the winners of its 2015 falcon naming poll: Hudson, Bridge-ette and Zee received the greatest number of votes among 10 candidate names provided by local elementary schools.

READ MORE

When it came to designing the lighting of the New NY Bridge, the project team’s strategy was twofold: accentuate the architectural features of the iconic crossing while at the same time respecting the context in which it is built: the historic Hudson Valley. To achieve this balance-while also maintaining high standards of efficiency and safety-the team engaged Domingo Gonzalez Associates, (DGA) a leading architectural lighting design firm based in New York City.

 

 READ MORE

The New NY Bridge project held its annual public meetings in Westchester and Rockland on May 12 and 14, respectively, to give residents an in-depth briefing about construction progress to date and what lies ahead for the largest bridge and highway project in the nation.

 

READ MORE

The New NY Bridge project crossed another milestone this week with the installation of the first precast pier cap. These large concrete fixtures sit atop completed pier columns and eventually will support the new bridge’s road deck.

 

READ MORE

With the 2015 recreational boating season now underway, the New NY Bridge project team’s partnership with local officials is further enhancing safety on the waters of the Hudson River. As construction intensifies this summer, helping all boaters navigate safely near the work area is a top priority for the project team.

 

 READ MORE

Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
How many lanes will the new bridge have?
A:
The new twin-span bridge will have eight general traffic lanes – four in each direction. Space will also be provided for disabled vehicles, emergency responders and express buses and/or bus rapid transit.
Get Your E-ZPass® “On-the-Go”at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers
View the latest issues of the New NY Bridge Quarterly Magazine
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Follow Us on Twitter

@NewNYBridge

Call the Project Hotline

1-855-TZBRIDGE

(1-855-892-7434)

Community Outreach Centers

Westchester: 2 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY

Rockland: 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY

Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun: 11am-4pm

Visit the Project Website
Email Us
Construction Viewing Platform

Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, Tarrytown, NY

Next to the Tarrytown Senior Center at
240 West Main St.

©2015 New York State Thruway Authority

TZ Bridge Traffic Update

update

EXIT 10 ON-RAMP TO SOUTHBOUND NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-87/I-287) CLOSED TONIGHT, FRIDAY, MAY 29
Triple-Lane Closures, Periodic Traffic Stops of Southbound Thruway in South Nyack During Overnights the Week of June 1

The exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) will be closed from 9 p.m., Friday, May 29 to 5 a.m., Saturday, May 30. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the following graphic. The closure will allow Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) to safely move equipment needed to place concrete slabs for a new temporary all-electronic toll collection system that will be employed until a permanent system is constructed in the location of the current toll plaza in Tarrytown.

Additionally, weekday overnight triple-lane closures of the southbound Thruway will occur from Monday night, June 1 through Saturday morning, June 6. Closures will start at 7 p.m. with the closing of one lane near exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) to the Tappan Zee Bridge, followed by a second lane at 9 p.m. and a third at 10:30 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 6 a.m. the following weekday or 8 a.m. the following Saturday.

Additionally, a double-lane closure is planned for the overnight of Saturday, May 30, with a single lane closing at 7 p.m., followed by a second lane at 11 p.m. The lanes will reopen by 10 a.m., Sunday, May 31.

The lane closures are necessary to allow TZC to modify the highway for the temporary all-electronic toll collection system.

During the weekday and weekend overnight closures, at least one lane will remain open at all times, except during periodic traffic stops lasting up to 10 minutes of all four lanes of the southbound Thruway near exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W), which will occur between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. during the overnights of Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5. To ensure the public’s safety, the New York State Police will stop and hold all traffic approaching the area immediately before the traffic stops go into effect. Motorists will be permitted to enter the Thruway from all ramps during the traffic stops. The complete traffic stops are necessary to move equipment from the right shoulder to the left shoulder.

All planned work is subject to postponement due to weather conditions.

River Road in South Nyack
River Road utility work will continue during the week of June 1. The work may require reducing River Road to one lane at times. TZC flag persons will direct traffic as needed and additional signage as well as other safety measures will be in place.

Foundation Work on the New Bridge
Marine crews will continue working on the foundations for the new bridge next week by placing reinforcing steel and concrete in the piles, main span pile caps and approach span pile caps. The high-strength concrete is made on site by the project’s floating batch plants. Teams also will erect formwork for the cast-in-place pier columns, which eventually will support the new bridge’s road deck.

While the current phase of pile driving is anticipated to end soon, pile driving will continue next week. Pile driving is restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday.

Crews also will continue working on the bridge’s landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.

Construction of pier 1 located near River Road in South Nyack will continue with the installation of sheet piles. The sheet piles support the surrounding soil while the foundation for the new bridge pier is constructed. TZC is implementing noise-reducing measures, including sound-absorptive temporary noise barriers, to protect nearby residents. The project’s environmental compliance team will be on site to monitor noise levels during the operation.

Additionally, TZC will continue concrete placement for bridge foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and is delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the Thruway’s southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.

Additional work includes:

  • Pile cap foundation construction
  • Main span foundation construction
  • Landing abutment concrete work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge
  • Westchester Landings utility work

Boater Safety
During the summer months, Westchester and Rockland Marine Units will add extra overnight patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

Annual Meeting May 14, 2015

201505554cc8772e022

Members of the New NY Bridge project team will preview upcoming construction activities, discuss the progress thus far, and unveil some new design features at this year’s annual meeting for Rockland County.

Also, there will be a Q&A session with the audience and project leaders from the New York State Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors.

The annual meeting will be moderated by Brian Conybeare, the project’s special advisor.

WHEN: 6:30-8PM May 14

WHERE: Nyack High School, 360 Christian Herald Road, Nyack.

The Westchester annual meeting is Tuesday at Washington Irving School in Tarrytown.

PHOTO: One of the largest approach span pile caps on the project is carefully placed onto a group of foundation piles by the I Lift NY super crane.

Photo Credit: New York State Thruway Authority.

http://patch.com/new-york/nyack/new-ny-bridge-project-2015-annual-meeting-thursday?utm_source=alert-breakingnews&utm_medium=email&utm_term=community%20corner&utm_campaign=alert

WORK CONTINUES ON TEMPORARY ALL-ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM

update
Several Weeks of Weekday Overnight Triple-Lane Closures
on New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) Start May 4

Several weeks of weekday overnight triple-lane closures of southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/ I-287) will begin Monday, May 4. The Monday-through-Friday closures will start as early as 7 p.m. with the closure of one lane near exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) to the Tappan Zee Bridge, followed by a second lane closed at 9 p.m. and a third at 10:30 p.m. All lanes will reopen 6 a.m., Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m., Saturday. At least one lane will remain open at all times, except during the periodic traffic holds described below.

The lane closures are necessary to allow Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) to modify the highway for a temporary all-electronic toll collection system that will be employed until a permanent system is constructed in the location of the current toll plaza in Tarrytown.

In addition, periodic closures of all four lanes of the southbound Thruway in the vicinity of exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) will occur between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. during the overnights of Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7. To ensure the public’s safety, the New York State Police will stop and hold all traffic approaching the area immediately before the closures go into effect. Motorists will be permitted to enter the Thruway from all ramps during the closures. The complete closures are necessary to move equipment from the right shoulder to the left shoulder.

Finally, the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound Thruway will be closed from 10 p.m., Tuesday, May 5 to 5 a.m., Wednesday, May 6. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown on the following graphic. The closure will allow TZC to mobilize a crane that will place concrete slabs for the all-electronic toll collection system.

All planned work is subject to postponement due to weather conditions.

River Road in South Nyack
River Road utility work will continue the week of May 4. The work may require reducing River Road to one lane at times. TZC flag persons will direct traffic as needed and additional signage as well as other safety measures will be in place.

Foundation Work on the New Bridge
Marine crews will continue working on the foundations for the new bridge next week by placing reinforcing steel and concrete in the piles, main span pile caps and approach span pile caps. The high-strength concrete is made on site by the project’s two floating batch plants. Teams also will erect formwork for the cast-in-place pier columns, which eventually will support the new bridge’s road deck. With only a small percentage of piles left to install, pile driving operations will continue next week. Pile driving is restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday.

Crews also will continue working on the bridge’s landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.

TZC will continue concrete placement for foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and is delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the Thruway’s southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.

Additional work includes:

  • Pile cap foundation construction
  • Main span foundation construction
  • Concrete placement for foundations
  • Landing abutment concrete work
  • River Road utility work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge

Boater Safety
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

NEW NY Bridge 2015 Annual Public Meetings

The new NY bridge

You are invited to attend the New NY Bridge 2015 Annual Public Meetings, hosted by Brian Conybeare, Special Advisor to the Governor for the project. Members of the project team will discuss the remarkable progress being made, preview upcoming construction activities, and unveil some exciting new design features. Attendees will also be able to participate in a Q&A session with project leaders from the New York State Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors

Please attend one of the annual meetings listed below for more information:

 

Westchester County

 

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

 

Washington Irving Middle School  

103 S. Broadway

Tarrytown, NY 10591

 

Rockland County

 

Thursday, May 14, 2015

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

 

Nyack High School 

360 Christian Herald Rd.

Nyack, NY 10960

The New NY Bridge Newsletter for May 2015

May 2015
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
Forward   |    Home   |    Archives 

[VIDEO]

Super Crane’s First Lift


One of the world’s largest floating cranes successfully completed the first of many enormous lifts for the New NY Bridge project on April 24, 2015, following months of planning and preparation.

READ MORE

As Earth Day is observed, New Yorkers literally can breathe easier, knowing that the New NY Bridge project is being built with some of the cleanest construction equipment in the world.

 

 READ MORE

As the New NY Bridge project begins its most intense stage of construction, one upstate business is busy manufacturing nearly 1,000 concrete deck panels for the crossing’s main span roadway.

 

READ MORE

The New NY Bridge project marked another milestone this spring as Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC placed concrete for the crossing’s northern Westchester abutment. The structure will support the new bridge’s landing and was formed by pouring over 650 cubic yards of concrete in one day. You can watch the entire operation take place in just under a minute.

 

 READ MORE

In addition to educational outreach programs that have reached thousands of students, ongoing public presentations and a comprehensive website, the New NY Bridge project maintains two community outreach centers near the project site. Located in downtown Tarrytown and Nyack, and open seven days a week, the centers provide a window into the largest bridge and highway project in the nation.

 

 READ MORE

Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
How long will the new bridge last?
A:
The New NY Bridge is designed to last 100 years before any major structural maintenance is required.

 

Get Your E-ZPass® “On-the-Go”at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers
View the latest issues of the New NY Bridge Quarterly Magazine
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Follow Us on Twitter

@NewNYBridge

Call the Project Hotline

1-855-TZBRIDGE

(1-855-892-7434)

Community Outreach Centers

Westchester: 2 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY

Rockland: 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY

Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun: 11am-4pm

Visit the Project Website
Email Us
Construction Viewing Platform

Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, Tarrytown, NY

Next to the Tarrytown Senior Center at
240 West Main St.

©2015 New York State Thruway Authority

SUPER CRANE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES FIRST LIFT ON

update

NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT
I LIFT NY hoists massive 600-ton foundation element into place today

One of the world’s largest floating cranes this morning successfully completed the first of many enormous lifts for the New NY Bridge project, following months of planning and preparation.

In a carefully coordinated three-and-a-half hour operation on the Hudson River between Westchester and Rockland counties, the I Lift NY super crane hoisted and set one of the project’s largest precast concrete pile caps weighing in at 600 tons.

Video and photos from today’s lift will be posted here.

“We brought in the I Lift NY super crane to reduce construction time and cost, and this first lift is another symbol that the New NY Bridge is officially on the way,” Thruway Acting Executive Director Robert L. Megna. “The crane is a key tool to building the bridge in a safer, more cost-effective, environmentally-friendly way. With savings of more than a billion dollars for tollpayers, this super crane will continue to do great work.”

Owned by Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC, the design-build contractor for the New York State Thruway Authority, the super crane’s extraordinary capabilities save time and money while enhancing quality and safety by allowing large sections of the bridge to be pre-fabricated off-site and shipped by barge to the construction zone.

I Lift NY will continue to lift and place sections of the new twin-span bridge — some weighing from 900 to 1,100 tons — and will assist with the dismantling of the existing 60-year-old Tappan Zee Bridge, reducing costs and shortening the deconstruction process.

The super crane’s boom is 328 feet tall, which is taller than a 30-story building, and can lift up to 1,900 tons, or the equivalent of 12 Statues of Liberty, at once. Despite its enormity, the barge-mounted crane sits high in the water, thereby reducing the need for dredging on the project by 50 percent.

The I Lift NY super crane made a 6,000-mile journey from the San Francisco Bay area in 2014, passing through the Panama Canal.

Since its arrival here in New York, the crane has gone through months of testing, modifications and upgrades including a new high-tech computer operating system and complete replacement of its rigging cables. The most experienced operating engineers in the area also spent months of specialized training to carefully handle this massive machine. Now that the ice has cleared on the Hudson River, the I Lift NY crane is getting to work on the pile caps and later this year will begin placing the even heavier structural steel beams that will carry the road deck across the new spans.

New NY Bridge Progress
Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership and with the support of President Barack Obama and the Federal government, the New NY Bridge project has progressed dramatically since construction began in October 2013 following many years of delay. Since October 2011, steps forward include: enactment of new design-build legislation; review and completion of concurrent environmental review and procurement processes; negotiation of a project labor agreement with construction unions; and recommendation from a panel of local leaders and transportation experts for a comprehensive plan for mass transit options for the region – all with an unprecedented level of transparency and community involvement.

About the New NY Bridge
The New NY Bridge’s eight traffic lanes, four breakdown and emergency lanes, and state-of-the-art traffic monitoring systems will mean less congestion for motorists. Designed and constructed to be mass-transit-ready, the new crossing will be able to accommodate bus rapid transit, as well as light rail or commuter rail. The bridge will also include a bike and pedestrian shared-use path. Extensive measures are in place throughout the duration of the project to protect the environment and to monitor the impact of construction on surrounding communities.

I LIFT NY SUPER CRANE SPECIFICATIONS

Type of vessel: Floating Sheerleg Crane
Propulsion: None
Hull material: Steel
Lifting capacity: 1,929 tons
Length: 384 feet
Breadth: 99.8 feet
Depth: 22 feet
Boom length: 328.08 feet
Boom width: 65.7 feet
Min. boom angle for transport: 4 degrees
Min. boom angle for lifting: 19 degrees
Max. boom angle for lifting: 67 degrees
For more information or for photos and video of the I Lift NY super crane’s first lift, go to www.NewNYBridge.com

Tappan Zee viewing area in Nyack could open in June

1406317305000-TZ-Tarrytown-Viewing-Platform-1JPG

LoHud ,Khurram Saeed, ksaeed@lohud.com4:54 p.m. EDT April 21, 2015

Rockland residents will have to wait a couple of more months to get an up-close look of the new Tappan Zee Bridge getting built.

Construction crews this week will begin mobilizing equipment at Memorial Park in Nyack to build a new fishing pier that will house the viewing area.

The 90-foot-long by 30-foot-wide pier should be ready by mid-June, Nyack Village Administrator Jim Politi said.

The observation area at the end of the pier will feature several information panels about the $3.9 billion replacement project and the equipment being used. High-powered telescopes will provide an intimate look at what promises to be an extremely busy construction season.

While the official viewing site in Tarrytown’s RiverWalk Park opened last October, Nyack has run into problems that have led to delays.

Village officials had hoped the rebuilt pier would be ready to open last December.

“It took us three tries to find someone to put the pilings in,” Politi said of the project’s critical foundational element.

Politi said larger companies were too busy and perhaps the work was viewed as too small but all that bidding and rebidding added weeks, if not months, to the $200,000 rebuild of an old fishing pier, which received $150,000 from the state and $50,000 in Tappan Zee community fund money.

Soon after pile driving began at end of August, the project ran into another snag.

Crews installing the 40-foot-long wood piles hit a concrete barge buried along the shore.

“We had to figure out how to get through that,” Politi said.

Nyack Mayor Jen Laird-White turned to the state Thruway Authority for advice, and Tony Canale, one of the geotechnical engineers hired for the Tappan Zee project, helped come up with a solution. Canale lives in Yonkers and teaches a graduate course on foundation engineering at Manhattan College.

“We were happy to utilize some the world-class engineering expertise on the New NY Bridge project to help the village of Nyack with their new fishing pier,” said Brian Conybeare, adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the project.

With the piles now all in, the custom-made deck, wood railings, tables, benches, lighting and Tappan Zee-related materials remain to be installed.

Politi estimates that work will take the contractor, Ingannamorte and Sons of Tenalfy, N.J., six to eight weeks to complete.

By early summer, he said visitors and Tappan Zee watchers will have a place to “fish or sit and relax” with a “wonderful view” of the rising bridge.

Conybeare said the viewing platform will offer residents “a first-hand look at the historic project unfolding on the Hudson River right in their backyard.”

Twitter: @ksaeed1

If you go

The Westchester viewing platform for Tappan Zee Bridge construction is located at Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, 157 W. Main St., Tarrytown.

 

Thruway Authority Discussions with South Nyack Making Progress on Bike/Pedestrian Path Parking

For immediate release: April 6, 2015
Contact: Brian Conybeare 845-705-3302

Thruway Authority Discussions with South Nyack Making Progress on Bike/Pedestrian Path Parking

New York State Thruway Authority Acting Executive Director Robert Megna today announced that renewed discussions with the Village of South Nyack on parking options for the New NY Bridge project’s shared-use bike/pedestrian path (SUP) in Rockland County are progressing.

The Thruway Authority and Federal Highway Administration are undertaking an Environmental Assessment to study the parking options generated by the public and other stakeholders.  Formal public hearings will be held as part of the process, once a draft Environmental Assessment is complete.

“The renewed talks with South Nyack are making substantial progress,” said Acting Thruway Authority Executive Director Robert Megna. “We want to continue working proactively with Mayor Bonnie Christian and the South Nyack Tappan Zee Bridge Task Force to find solutions for the shared-use pathparking areas and connectivity to the community that will work for all the parties involved while protecting New York taxpayers and tollpayers at the same time.”

“We continue working together on the location of the shared-use path and hopefully we will be able to come to an agreement that benefits the residents of South Nyack, the Thruway Authority and the people who will use the path in the future,” said South Nyack Mayor Bonnie Christian.

The New NY Bridge Community Benefits Program has approved a $250,000 grant for the Village of S. Nyack to study the feasibility of redesigning and redeveloping interchange 10 on I-87/287.  The village is now considering several proposals from engineering firms to design and recommend economically sustainable redevelopment concepts.

The Thruway Authority and the village have agreed to continue working on these issues together as the New NY Bridge project moves forward.

For more information on the SUP parking options currently being studied in both S. Nyack and Tarrytown: http://www.newnybridge.com/documents/sup/index.html

The New NY Bridge April 2015 Newsletter

April 2015
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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Springing into Action:

Remobilizing on the Hudson River


As the Lower Hudson Valley thaws out from a particularly punishing winter, the hardworking men and women of the New NY Bridge project are remobilizing on the river.

READ MORE

While frigid weather conditions have limited river work in recent weeks, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) has been forging ahead with the parts of the bridge that anchor it to the land: the abutments. Located at each end of the crossing, the stout abutments will serve as solid foundations for the bridge and the land-side highway.

 

READ MORE

On Feb. 28, the New NY Bridge (NNYB) project educational outreach team met with Girl Scout troops from Greenburgh and Elmsford to promote careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

 

 READ MORE

The construction of river crossings present an engineering challenge: how to build in the water?.

 

 READ MORE

Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Who is the Project Director, and what are his responsibilities?
A:
Peter Sanderson was hired by the Thruway Authority to serve as project director for the New NY Bridge. Sanderson leads a team of state employees, and private-sector design and construction experts, with the goal of completing the new bridge on budget and on time. Among his past accomplishments, Mr. Sanderson was the lead for the I-35 bridge replacement project in Minnesota in 2007. Under his guidance, the I-35 project, projected to take 14 months, was completed in just 11 months.

 

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TZ Bridge Project Update and Lane Closures for the Week of March 23, 2015

FLOATING BATCH PLANTS RETURN TO WORK ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT
Triple-Lane Closure on Northbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) During Overnight of Wednesday, Mar. 25

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC’s (TZC) two floating concrete batch plants recently returned to the work site, passed the required testing and soon will begin pumping concrete. The batch plants were taken out of service in December after a silo failed.

The concrete plants move from location to location on the river, providing high-quality concrete where it is needed to build the New NY Bridge project. Their resumption of service will reduce the number of concrete trucks using local roads.

The following lane and exit closures are planned for next week:

Three left lanes of the northbound Thruway (I-87/I-287) will be closed from exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – NY Route 9) to exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – Route 9W), and including the Tappan Zee Bridge, from 9 p.m., Wednesday, Mar. 25 to 4:30 a.m., Thursday, Mar. 26. One lane will remain open during the closure. The closures are necessary to accommodate road-striping work.

Additionally, road striping will require the closure of the two left (35 mph) E-ZPass lanes at the southbound Thruway toll plaza in Tarrytown from 10 p.m. Friday, Mar. 27 to 5 a.m., Saturday, Mar. 28. The work also will necessitate the closure of the southbound exit 9 off-ramp to Route 9 from 10 p.m., Friday, Mar. 28 to 5 a.m., Saturday, Mar. 28. Traffic that would otherwise use exit 9 will be detoured to exit 8A, as shown below:

map

Turn-by-turn directions for southbound exit 9 closure detour:

  1. Exit onto the exit 8A off-ramp;
  2. At the end of the long ramp, turn right on westbound Route 119/White Plains Road;
  3. Enter westbound I-287, which merges with northbound I-87;
  4. Exit onto the exit 9 off-ramp;
  5. Turn left onto westbound Route 119/White Plains Road; and
  6. Turn left or right on Route 9, depending on your destination. 

Preparations for the Temporary All Electronic Toll Collection system in South Nyack near exit 10 will require a single right-lane closure from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 24.

Marine operations continue to gear up following the winter shutdown, with crews installing reinforcing steel (rebar) in the main span pile caps and the precast approach span pile caps.

With only a small percentage of piles left to install, pile driving operations will continue next week. The periodic pile driving is restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday.

Crews also will continue working on the bridge’s landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.

TZC will continue limited concrete placement for foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the New York State Thruway’s (I-87/I-287) southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.

Additional work includes:

  • Pile cap foundation construction
  • Main span foundation construction
  • Landing abutment concrete work
  • River Road utility work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge

Boater Safety
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots, and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/index.html?layer=incidents for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

March 2015 New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter

March 2015
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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Falcons Swoop In:

See Tappan Zee Peregrines Live Via Webcam


Coming to you live from high above the Hudson River are the fastest members of the animal kingdom! The Tappan Zee Bridge’s peregrine falcons have returned to their man-made nest box to prepare for the nesting season and can be viewed on the project’s “FalconCam.”

READ MORE

Long before the first foundations of the New NY Bridge project were installed, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) engaged experts at HDR Inc., an architectural and engineering firm with offices in Pearl River, NY, to build the new crossing in a virtual world.

 

READ MORE

Members of the New NY Bridge outreach team recently met with students at Anne M. Dorner Middle School in Ossining on the eve of the students’ entry in the 2015 Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest, a national competition that provides students with a realistic and engaging introduction to engineering.

 

 READ MORE

Located at the intersection of the active Hudson River and the busy New York State Thruway, the New NY Bridge project is passed by more than 138,000 vehicles every day. Building America’s largest bridge project in this bustling area compelled the project team to make security one of its top priorities. To keep the public and project safe, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) engaged one of the nation’s leading private security organizations, AlliedBarton Security Services and its White Plains office.

 

 READ MORE

As support columns for the New NY Bridge rise across the Hudson River, workers at an upstate facility are hard at work preparing critical elements for the project’s next stage of construction. A few miles south of Albany, a major Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) staging yard at the Port of Coeymans (pronounced KWEE-mans) will be the assembly site for hundreds of enormous steel girders that will connect the columns and support the new crossing’s road deck.

 

 READ MORE

Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
What does “design-build” mean?
A:
Design-build is an alternative to the traditional construction method of “design-bid-build.” In a design-bid-build arrangement, the state would issue one contract to design the bridge and all of its components. Then, bids for the construction would be solicited. Under a design-build contract, the contractor that builds the structure is also responsible for the development and integrity of the design. If construction cost overruns arise relating to the design, they are the responsibility of the contactor, not taxpayers or toll payers. Design changes under the old design-bid-build system often led to past project delays and cost overruns that had to be borne by taxpayers and toll payers. Design-build shifts most of the risk to the contractor.
Get Your E-ZPass® “On-the-Go”at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers
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HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Follow Us on Twitter

@NewNYBridge

Call the Project Hotline

1-855-TZBRIDGE

(1-855-892-7434)

Community Outreach Centers

Westchester: 2 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY

Rockland: 142 Main Street, Nyack, NY

Mon-Fri: 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun: 11am-4pm

Visit the Project Website
Email Us
Construction Viewing Platform

Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, Tarrytown, NY

Next to the Tarrytown Senior Center at
240 West Main St.

©2015 New York State Thruway Authority

Falcons Swoop In See Tappan Zee Peregrines Live Via Webcam

Falcons021815

 

Coming to you live from high above the Hudson River are the fastest members of the animal kingdom! The Tappan Zee Bridge’s peregrine falcons have returned to their man-made nest box to prepare for the nesting season and can be viewed on the project’s “FalconCam.”

Installed in the steel super structure of the existing bridge, the nest box is equipped with a live, 24/7 FalconCam, accessible here.

The remote FalconCam, located outside the nest box, provides close-up views of the lives of these amazing migratory raptors, which recently came back to reproduce. Peregrine eggs typically are laid in February and March and chicks hatch approximately one month later. Viewers may be able to watch as the chicks peck their way out of their eggs and are then fed and cared for by their parents.

As construction on the New NY Bridge project continues, a 100-foot buffer area is in place to help protect the falcons during their nesting period.

Maintained and monitored by the New York State Thruway Authority, the nest box evetappan zeentually will be relocated to a new perch in the towers of the new bridge.

Learn more about the Tappan Zee falcons.

Project Update: Winter Weather Limits Operations

WINTER WEATHER CONTINUES TO LIMIT OPERATIONS AT NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT SITE DURING THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 9

Freezing temperatures and winter weather in the Hudson Valley continue to limit operations at the New NY Bridge project site. Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) has included a two-month winter shutdown in its schedule to account for winter weather conditions.

During the week of February 9, TZC will continue limited operations.

TZC’s inclement weather preparation protocols include having tug boats on the water at all times, inspecting and adjusting all mooring lines, inspecting crane barges and securing all equipment, moving the large majority of cranes to shallow water moorings and taking all smaller crew boats out of the water. Additionally throughout every storm, TZC uses video and GPS to monitor the entire fleet of project vessels from its security operations center.

As weather permits, landside crews are working to assemble formwork that will shape the bridge’s landings on the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, which will be made of steel, concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadways.

Pile Driving and Other Construction Activity

As much as allowed by weather conditions, construction will continue in the Hudson River, where crews are placing the foundations of the new bridge. The work includes pile driving from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday.

TZC also will continue limited concrete placement for foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp.  The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.

Westchester landing foundation operations continue as crews work to construct the land based piers and abutment for the new bridge.

Additional work includes:

  • Pile cap foundation construction
  • Main span foundation construction
  • River Road utility work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on the existing bridge

Boater Safety

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots, and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/index.html?layer=incidents for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

Building a Landmark

NYS Thruway Lane Closures for Jan 28-29,2015

For immediate release: January 23, 2015 

TWO LANES OF SOUTHBOUND NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-87/I-287) CLOSED OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY JAN. 28 AND THURSDAY JAN. 29

Two lanes of the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) will be closed between The Tappan Zee Bridge Toll Plaza in Tarrytown and exit 8A (Elmsford – NY Route 119 – Saw Mill River Parkway North) during the overnights of Tuesday, January 27 and Wednesday, January 28. The two overnight closures will occur between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. and are necessary to accommodate work on an electronic message sign facility.

Bridge Abutment Work Continues

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue assembling formwork that will shape the bridge’s landing on the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, which will be made of steel, concrete and earth, will serve as strong bases for where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.

Pile Driving and Other Construction Activity
Construction will continue in the Hudson River as crews place the foundations of the new bridge. Work will include pile driving from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday.

TZC will continue limited concrete placement for foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. In the absence of the project’s floating batch plants, which were temporarily taken out of service last month after a silo failed, the concrete for this work will be acquired from local concrete suppliers and will be delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) southbound access ramp. Trucks will exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.

Westchester landing foundation operations continue as crews work to construct the land based piers and abutment for the new bridge.

  • Additional work includes:
  • Pile cap foundation construction
  • Main span foundation construction
  • River Road utility work
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
  • Survey inspections on existing bridge

Boater Safety
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots, and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/index.html?layer=incidents for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.

NEW NY BRIDGE BIKE/PEDESTRIAN PATH

More Community Input Wanted on Parking Facility Concepts  for Rockland and Westchester

bike path

Residents and other interested stakeholders are invited to provide comments on the new bridge’s shared-use bike/pedestrian path parking concepts.

Once complete, the New NY Bridge to replace the Tappan Zee will offer Hudson Valley residents a safer and easier commute, as well as a brand new 3.1-mile-long shared-use path for pedestrians and bicycles with stunning Hudson Valley views. The path will be perfect for a leisurely stroll, a challenging run or an exhilarating ride.

 

The project team has been working closely with residents, elected officials and experts for more than a year to develop the best design for visitor parking and other amenities. We completed a comprehensive study to determine the amount of parking needed, and an environmental assessment of the options is underway. Public meetings will be held to present the findings of the environmental assessment and take more comments from the public before any plans are finalized.

 

Now, we want your input on the parking options.

 

Please click here to view parking concepts. Comments will be accepted through Friday, February 13, 2015, and can be made via mail, email or fac (see instructions below). 

 

At the Westchester landing, the parking facility is planned on Thruway Authority property off South Broadway in Tarrytown. This site offers ample space for both parking and amenities.

 

For the Rockland landing, a variety of community-generated concepts are being studied to provide sufficient parking and amenities – including one on Thruway property at exit 10. At the Village of South Nyack’s request, the bike/pedestrian path’s entrance was moved from Smith Avenue to Cornelison Avenue at South Broadway. A $250,000 grant was awarded to the village through the New NY Bridge project’s Community Benefits Program to study the feasibility of redeveloping exit 10.

 

The parking facility concepts can be viewed at NewNYBridge.com/SUP and public comments can be submitted as follows:

 

Mail: Brian Conybeare
Special Advisor to the Governor for the New NY Bridge Project
303 South Broadway, Suite 413
Tarrytown, New York 10591

 

Email: Info@NewNYBridge.com  

 

Fax: 914.524.5455

 

Thank you in advance for your comments!

 

New Year of Construction Looking Ahead to 2015

New Year of Construction
Looking Ahead to 2015

December 31, 2014 |

With a fleet of approximately 130 floating cranes, barges, tugboats and other vessels working on the New NY Bridge, construction continues to move forward. The coming year will see the completion of the new crossing’s foundations and an increasing number of bridge piers across the Hudson River.

Early in 2015, the I Lift NY super crane will make the first of what will be hundreds of heavy lifts by installing a 600-ton approach span pile cap, a task that no other crane on the job can handle. Next year will also bring the completion of phase one of pile driving (phase two is scheduled for 2017, after the landings of existing bridge are removed); the installation of numerous precast approach-span pile capsby the project’s floating cranes; and the completion of the main-span pile caps, which will support the soaring 419-foot main span towers. The bridge also will begin to take its finished form, as segments of the road deck are mounted on the steel girders that connect the approach span piers. With the placement of thousands of tons of concrete and steel in the coming year, the project is steadily progressing towards completion in 2018.

Individuals keen on observing progress of the New NY Bridge project firsthand are invited to visit the recently opened Westchester viewing platform in Tarrytown’s Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park. The platform is equipped with telescopes and a spotter’s guide, which describes the wide array of equipment on the river. The Rockland viewing platform, which will be situated in Nyack’s Memorial Park, is under development and is slated to open in early 2015. The project’s day-by-day progress also can be tracked from the comfort of home, thanks to construction cameras situated at various vantage points on and around the project site and accessible from the project website.

Here’s to another year of progress on this historic project in 2015!

http://www.newnybridgegallery.com/updates/new-year-of-constructionlooking-ahead-to-2015/

 

 

 

 

Tappan Zee Bridge December 2014 Newsletter

December 2014
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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The Big Reveal:  

First Piers Completed


Like an artist unveiling a new creation, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) removed enclosing formwork to reveal the first of the New NY Bridge project’s vertical piers on Nov. 13. The column is the first of 86 piers that will stand in procession across the river to support the new bridge’s road deck.

READ MORE

Ever since he piloted his first crane at the precocious age of 12, New Rochelle native Ronald Burgess has been on track to one day take control of a machine as massive as the I Lift NY super crane. Groomed by his father, also a crane operator, Burgess has been an engineer for 30 years and is currently a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 137. His career has included work on high-visibility construction projects including the Yonkers Raceway and even the redecking of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge.

 

READ MORE

As the New NY Bridge begins to rise from the surface of the Hudson River, the New York State Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) are working together to ensure their growing construction team meets the very highest standards for workplace safety.

 

 READ MORE

To help travelers reach their Thanksgiving destinations, the New York State Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC paused certain New NY Bridge construction activities during the latter half of last week to keep all lanes open. While the holiday weekend and late November snow storm have passed, our winter weather driving tips will remain helpful to you in the coming months.

 

READ MORE

 

 

Read Complete Newsletter here: http://www.newnybridgegallery.com/updates/december-2014-new-ny-bridge-monthly-newsletter/

Tappan Zee Bridge Fall Quarterly Magazine

In this issue:

  • I Lift NY Super Crane: New York’s Monumental Lifter
  • Educational Outreach: Building Bridges to the Next Generation
  • Project Update: Foundations for the Future
  • The New NY Works: An Empire State Economic Engine

 

fall-quarterly-magazine Page 002

 

Read Complete Newsletter here:

http://www.newnybridge.com/documents/publications/2014/fall-quarterly-magazine.pdf

New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter_ November 2014

November 2014
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
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Enter the Super Crane:

I Lift NY Arrives at the New NY Bridge Project 


 Following a 6,000 mile journey that included transit through the Panama Canal, the New NY Bridge project’s I Lift NY super crane arrived at the Hudson River construction site on October 6.

READ MORE

October 16, 2014 marked the first anniversary of permanent construction operations on the New NY Bridge project, and the past year has seen exceptional progress on the foundations of the new crossing. Looking ahead, the project is poised to make even greater and more visible strides in the coming year.

 

 READ MORE 

I Lift NY Completes Journey
I Lift NY Completes Journey
 

The I Lift NY super crane arrived at the New NY Bridge site on October 6. Here is a video of the powerful lifter completing the last leg of its 6,000-mile journey.

 

 READ MORE 

Led by the recently-arrived I Lift NY super crane, an armada of more than 30 floating cranes – each capable of raising immense structural elements with great precision – is hard at work lifting and placing many millions of pounds of components and materials to help build the New NY Bridge. These workhorse machines are critical to keeping the project on schedule for completion in 2018.

 

 READ MORE

Now in its second year, the New NY Bridge Educational Outreach Program continues to engage students of all ages in Westchester, Rockland and beyond. The program reflects Governor Andrew Cuomo’s goal of using the state’s largest infrastructure project to educate tomorrow’s professionals. This year, the team is focusing on the ‘how-it-works’ engineering behind the new bridge’s foundations.

 

 READ MORE 

Those keen on observing firsthand the progress of the New NY Bridge project are invited to the recently-opened Westchester viewing platform in Tarrytown’s Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park. Located near the Tarrytown Senior Center at 240 West Main Street, the easy-to-access platform provides an unobstructed view of the project site.

 

READ MORE

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What will happen to the current bridge?
A: The current Tappan Zee Bridge will be carefully dismantled and the structural steel will be recycled. The concrete deck panels, which have been replaced in recent years, will be reused where possible on other Thruway and state Department of Transportation projects.

 

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Tappan Zee Bridge Skeleton Takes Shape at Tomkins Cove

Khurram Saeed and Theresa Juva-Brown, tjuva@lohud.com9:11 a.m. EDT October 22, 2014

Less than 15 miles from where the new Tappan Zee Bridge is being built, its steely skeleton is being put together. Dozens of workers are assembling fortified steel cages along the Hudson River.

Less than 15 miles from the Tappan Zee Bridge, the steel skeleton of its replacement is being meticulously pieced together.

“The site is perfect,” Ro DiNardo, construction services manager for bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors, said. “It’s 18 acres, and it has all the space we needed for these activities.”

For the first time, Tappan Zee Constructors on Tuesday offered a behind-the-scenes look at the bustling staging area at Tomkins Cove, a former power plant next to the Hudson River. DiNardo said its proximity to the bridge is saving time on the $3.9 billion replacement project, which is expected to be completed in 2018.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening on site:

Pile reinforcement

The estimated 1,000 hollow piles that are being set in the Hudson River are being fortified with cages made of reinforced steel, also known as rebar.

Bridge columns

Workers are also assembling cages that will ultimately become bridge columns. The steel structures are produced in a factory in New Jersey and dipped in hot zinc to strengthen them. The coiled-up steel is loaded on trucks and delivered to Tomkins Cove.

Using detailed diagrams, crews of five workers spend several days creating the sections, some of which are 20 feet long.

Then, DiNardo said, comes the tricky and most dangerous part: pouring the concrete into the mold that is built around sections of steel.

“We actually have to put men inside there so we can pour from the bottom and work our way up,” said DiNardo, of New City. “There are a lot of safety concerns. We have to have an entire plan together before we put anyone in there.”

Tower work

The structures that will be used to build the bridge’s eight towers are under construction at the site, too.

Each rectangular platform, known as climbing forms, has an opening in the middle where the concrete gets poured to create the towers in sections.

A hydraulic lift will raise the structure, with the platform eventually standing more than 30 stories above water.

“As we build, this will move with us,” DiNardo said of the platform.

The climbing forms are expected to arrive at the project site by barge in February.

Improved safety

Because the staging area sits next to an active railroad, the project team and railroad officials have had to make adjustments.

In the past few months, CSX freight trains were left unattended for up to two hours during crew shift changes, blocking emergency access to the site. In one instance over the summer, a worker who had an allergic reaction to something he ate, had to be brought by boat to a medical facility in Westchester.

Tappan Zee Constructors has just finished building a foot bridge over the tracks to allow emergency responders to reach the site by land.

The bridge builder expects to use Tomkins Cove through 2017. Eventually, the site will likely be used to demobilize cranes and other equipment when the work is done.

 

Fast facts

Tomkins Cove staging area: 18 acres

Workers: Approximately 60 not including subcontractors

Truck traffic: 5 to 20 per day

Barge traffic: 1 to 5 per day

Distance to Tappan Zee Bridge site: 14 nautical miles

Ask us about the Tappan Zee

When: Nov. 1 at 11 a.m.

Where: Pierson Park, Tarrytown

What: Journal News/lohud transportation reporters Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed will answer questions and listen to comments about our Tappan Zee Bridge coverage. Join them for the informal chat over coffee and snacks.

Bridge Updates and Closings

update

NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-87/I-287) southbound EXIT 9 TO BE CLOSED OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY FOR PAVING OPERATIONS

Exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – US Route 9) of the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) will be closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. during the overnights of Wednesday, Oct. 22 and Thursday, Oct. 23 to enable a widening of the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) in Westchester County.

The widening of the southbound Thruway will require paving the shoulder in the vicinity of Exit 9 and is being done to facilitate a series of lane shifts occurring in the near future. Drivers bound for destinations in the Tarrytown vicinity are advised to use Exit 8A (I-87 – Elmsford – NY Route 119), continue north on northbound Route 119/White Plains Road, turn right onto to I–287 west towards I-87/Tappan Zee Bridge and continue to Exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – US Route 9). Drivers bound for destinations on or near White Plains Rd/Route 119 are advised to use Exit 8A to stay on Route 119. See graphic below.

One lane of the northbound Thruway in the vicinity of Exit 9 will be closed at 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 24. At 9 p.m., a second lane will be closed and at 10 p.m., a third lane will be closed. All lanes will reopen at 8 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 24. These closures also are related to the above-mentioned paving operation.

Motorists are reminded that the northbound Thruway lanes recently were narrowed slightly at the Westchester approach to the Tappan Zee Bridge and the speed limit was reduced to 45 mph.

Construction will continue in the Hudson River as crews place the foundation for the new bridge. Work will include pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday.

A second shift of workers also will continue pile welding, pile cleanout and concrete placement operations associated with permanent foundations.

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC, (TZC) is continuing construction of the new bridge’s landings.  In Westchester, work includes drilling holes into the bedrock for the foundation of the landing. In Rockland, a similar operation is improving the strength of the soil by using aggregate piers, which are made by using a drill to mix soil and aggregate (i.e., crushed stone) to form a strong base for the new bridge’s abutment and foundation. The drilling process is less audible than impact pile driving and TZC has implemented noise-reducing measures to further minimize sound levels. The eight-week operation is anticipated to conclude in November.

Work will continue on the Rockland work trestle near the shoreline, including pile driving and cofferdam installation. The trestle will support equipment used for the construction of the westernmost section of the new bridge.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots, and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):

Monday Oct. 20 Southbound right lane near exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday Oct. 20 Southbound right lane across the Tappan Zee Bridge 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday Oct. 20 Southbound right lane near exit 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday Oct. 21 Southbound right lane near exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 22 Southbound right lane near exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 22 Southbound right lane near exit 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 22 Southbound right lane near exit 9 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 22 Southbound two right lanes near exit 9 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 22 I-87 Exit 9 exit ramp in Tarrytown closed 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 23 Southbound two right lanes near exit 9 Midnight to 6 a.m.
Thursday Oct. 23 I-87 Exit 9 exit ramp in Tarrytown closed Midnight to 5 a.m.
Thursday Oct. 23 Northbound right lane near exit 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 23 Southbound right lane near exit 9 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 23 Southbound two right lanes near exit 9 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 23 I-87 Exit 9 exit ramp in Tarrytown closed 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Thursday Oct. 23 Southbound 35 mph EZ-Pass lanes in Tarrytown closed 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Friday Oct. 24 Southbound two right lanes near exit 9 Midnight to 6 a.m.
Friday Oct. 24 I-87 Exit 9 exit ramp in Tarrytown closed Midnight to 5 a.m.
Friday Oct. 24 Southbound 35 mph EZ-Pass lanes in Tarrytown closed Midnight to 4 a.m.
Friday Oct. 24 Northbound right lane near exit 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday Oct. 24 Southbound left lane near exit 9 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday Oct. 24 Northbound two left lanes near exit 9 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday Oct. 24 Northbound three left lanes near exit 9 11 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Friday Oct. 24 Southbound 35 mph EZ-Pass lanes in Tarrytown closed 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Saturday Oct. 25 Northbound three left lanes near exit 9 Midnight to 8 a.m.
Saturday Oct. 25 Southbound 35 mph EZ-Pass lanes in Tarrytown closed Midnight to 4 a.m.

All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/index.html?layer=incidents for real time information regarding traffic conditions.

Ongoing Operations:

  • Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
  • Pile Cap foundation construction
  • Main Span foundation construction
  • Rockland Landing construction
  • Westchester landing construction
  • River Road utility work
  • Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving
  • Survey inspections on existing bridge
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle

New Tappan Zee expected to become top tourism destination

The new bridge’s 3-mile walking and biking path could prove to be a major tourist draw.

Will tourists flock to see the new Tappan Zee Bridge?

The answer is years away but it’s conceivable the world’s widest crossing could one day rank alongside New York’s many treasured landmarks, which include Grand Central Terminal, the Brooklyn Bridge and most recently, the Walkway Over the Hudson.

People walking or biking over the Hudson River between Westchester and Rockland will enjoy six scenic overlooks along the 3-mile path. The northerly view would offer stunning vistas of the water, Hook Mountain and the Sleepy Hollow lighthouse.

“That really is a big draw,” said Larry Oakner, senior partner of strategy and engagement with CoreBrand, a marketing consultant firm in Manhattan.

“It may fall into those hidden gem kind of ideas of what New York state has to offer,” he added.

Although the first of the Tappan Zee’s two spans will open in late 2016, the path won’t be ready until 2018 when it will become part of the northern span that carries traffic into Rockland.

A tourism director’s dream scenario would envision thousands of people arriving on weekends to descend upon the path, while pumping money into shops and restaurants in Tarrytown and the Nyacks. Bicycle clubs from New York City and the region would add it to their routes; out-of-state visitors would opt to stay overnight to take in local attractions, including the first major new bridge to be built in the metropolitan area in half a century.

“Just to simply build the bridge won’t deliver the greatest return for you from a tourism perspective,” said Bill Baker, chief strategist of Total Destination Marketing, an Oregon-based firm that helps communities with branding. “They want reasonable experiences, not to just take a photo of it.”

Baker said the landmark offered a unique opportunity for local businesses.

“The parties need to start talking and planning for it,” he said. “There may be some need to commit some funds and perhaps re-purpose some plans.”

Michael Yanko, whose company is constructing a 132-room hotel in Nyack, is banking on the new bridge and walkway drawing visitors from all over. Located off Exit 11 on the Thruway, Nylo Nyack is expected to open in June 2015, targeting both corporate clients and tourists.

“We will have packages for couples to come from the city and to stay in Nyack for the weekend,” said Yanko, a developer and co-owner of WY Management. “Certainly the bike and pedestrian lane and a beautiful bridge is helping.”

In Tarrytown, plans call for putting up a visitors center with parking for about 100 cars near the bridge on South Broadway. The path will connect to South Nyack but exactly where is far from settled. The village is almost entirely residential, further complicating the parking issue.

Rockland County Legislator Nancy Low-Hogan lives in South Nyack and represents several river villages near the bridge.

“In my mind, the (path) is going to be a tourist attraction. Period. End of story. That means opportunity. It also means challenges and that requires planning,” said Low-Hogan, who has taken up the tourism torch with fellow Legislators Alden Wolfe and Harriet Cornell.

They plan to host a meeting next month with officials from South Nyack, Nyack, Grand View, Piermont and Orangetown to talk about next steps. They later hope to expand the sessions to include other local and regional representatives, business leaders and tourism experts.

“Eventually all of these people have to be in this conversation,” Low-Hogan said.

The state Thruway Authority, which owns the Tappan Zee and its replacement, has not released estimates on how many visitors the path could attract.

Some are looking to learn from the experiences of other elevated pedestrian paths, including the High Line in Manhattan and Walkway Over the Hudson, a mile-long converted railroad bridge connecting Poughkeepsie and Highland that has attracted nearly 3 million visitors since opening in 2009.

David Rocco, a Yorktown Heights resident who served on the Walkway’s board of directors from 2005 to 2010, predicted the Tappan Zee path would become a major tourist destination. He visited San Francisco last summer and took a stroll on the 2-mile walkway on the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. He thought of home as he saw people jogging and cycling while taking in spectacular views of San Francisco Bay and Candlestick Point.

“I think it’s going to be magnificent,” Rocco said of the new Tappan Zee. “It’s going to be such a draw for both sides of the river.”

However, he said there was the matter of the traffic noise — “It was loud” — but it didn’t take away from his overall enjoyment.

Tappan Zee officials may want to keep an eye on the Bay Bridge to see if its path ends up giving the Golden Gate Bridge a little friendly competition.

More than 5,500 people showed up to use the Bay Bridge Trail on the first Sunday it opened on Sept. 8, 2013.

John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Bay Area Toll Authority, said while there aren’t updated hard figures, he estimated thousands use the path on a good weather weekend, even though it won’t be completed until June. And driving there requires walking a mile from a parking lot just to reach its entrance.

“We weren’t sure how big of an attraction it would be,” Goodwin said. “It proved to be a major attraction indeed.”

Twitter: @ksaeed1

Ask us about the Tappan Zee

Journal News/lohud transportation reporters Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed will answer questions and listen to concerns about the Tappan Zee Bridge project from 11 a.m. to noon on Nov. 1 at Pierson Park in Tarrytown. Join them for the informal one-on-one talk over coffee and snacks.

Tappan Zee fast facts

Bridge type: Cable-stayed

Project cost: $3.9 billion

Construction schedule: 5 years, 2.5 months

Project completed to date: 25 percent

Numbers of spans: 2

Traffic lanes: 4 on each span

Breakdown lanes: 1 on each span

Express bus lane/emergency access lanes: 1 on each span

First span opens: December 2016

Second span opens: November 2017

Project physical completion: April 2018

 

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/tappan-zee-bridge/2014/10/17/new-tappan-zee-expected-become-top-tourism-destination/17432371/

Massive crane arrives at site of new Tappan Zee Bridge

TZ Under construction

By Judy Rife; Times Herald-Record

Posted Oct. 6, 2014 @ 7:33 pm

NYACK – One of the world’s largest floating cranes, in the wings in Jersey City since January, finally took center stage at the construction site of the new Tappan Zee Bridge on Monday. The crane, known as the I Lift NY, got the kind of gushing welcome that celebrities are accustomed to – including a declaration of love from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“I truly love this crane,’’ said Cuomo, surrounded by dozens of crane-ogling journalists and officials on a 149-passenger ferry off Piermont. “Every New Yorker should love this crane because it’s saving us a lot of money – as much as a billion dollars.”

The crane was a factor in the ability of Tappan Zee Constructors to win the $3.1 billion contract to design and build the new TZB, underbidding its two competitors by almost $1 billion in the process. Its superior lifting ability will allow much of the new bridge’s superstructure to be assembled off site and hoisted into place, slicing time and expense off the construction bill.

Darrell Waters, TZC’s president, said the crane will start work this week, and construction, concentrated in the river until now, will become more vertical and visible by the end of the year.

“We are 24 percent complete and we are on time and on budget,’’ said Waters, adding that 65 percent of the piles that will ultimately support the new bridge’s piers have been installed.

What surprised the welcoming party on the ferry was how ordinary the partially collapsed crane looked as it glided toward the TZB at four knots – despite sitting on a barge the size of a football field.

Its jaw-dropping size only became apparent when the ferry swung around it and the crane could be viewed against the bridge – and then it towered over the bridge and the 130 other pieces of construction equipment, including 31 cranes, in the water.

TZC will fill the barge with water and further collapse portions of the crane Tuesday in preparation for moving the I Lift NY beneath the bridge, 139 feet above the Hudson at low tide, Wednesday. Waters said he expects to have three feet of clearance.

As the ferry returned to Piermont, Cuomo was peppered with questions about what the tolls will be when the new bridge opens in 2018, a subject he has avoided in this election year.

The governor said that the state needs “a little more information” before it can speculate about the tolls. He pointed out incentives and penalties in the construction contract, as well as additional state or federal aid, could ultimately affect the project’s cost and the amount to be raised through tolls.

“It’s four years down the road,’’ he said.

judyrife@gmail.com

http://www.recordonline.com/article/20141006/NEWS/141009636/101008/NEWSLETTER100

Going Vertical First Columns Rise out of the Hudson

 

Following extensive pile installation and other foundation work in the Hudson River over the past year, the first permanent, vertical elements of the New NY Bridge are beginning to take shape: Two 40-foot steel cage towers now stand near the Westchester shore. Soon—with the addition of high-strength concrete—the first pier for the westbound span will be created.

“Everything we’ve been doing to date has been below the surface. This new work is giving people the first opportunity to see the bridge rising above the water,” noted Thruway Authority Construction Compliance Engineer Tom McGuinness.

The columns—over 130 in total—eventually will support the steel girders and deck of the new bridge. The girders and decking will be lifted in place by the soon-to-arrive I Lift NY super crane.

The steel cage frameworks for the piers are pre-assembled at a site several miles upriver. The rebar cages are transported to the project site by barge and lifted into place by floating cranes.

After the steel cages are carefully inspected, they are filled with concrete produced by the project’sfloating batch plants. Enclosing forms are erected around the frameworks to enable the concrete to set in the shape of the piers that will hold up the new twin-span structure.

The floating concrete batch plants maneuver around the river, mixing the precise amount of concrete required and using an extending arm to apply the material directly into the frameworks. The concrete flows around the steel cages and eventually hardens to form steel-reinforced concrete. The composite material is remarkably strong and capable of supporting the new bridge for the next century or more.

The New NY Bridge project remains on schedule and on budget as it approaches the one-year anniversary of new bridge construction that began with permanent pile installation in October 2013. Local residents can expect to see more and more vertical pier structures rise out of the river in the coming months as construction progress continues.

September 26, 2014 |

A Visit from the Past Original Tappan Zee Engineer Visits New NY Bridge Project

September 16, 2014

The New NY Bridge Rockland Community Outreach Center welcomed a surprising visitor earlier this month: an engineer from the original Tappan Zee Bridge construction team. Jerry Sondack was in his late 20s when he helped build the existing bridge more than half a century ago. Now, as the replacement bridge rises out of the Hudson River, the 90-year-old World War II veteran stopped by to learn how the new structure is being engineered to meet the needs of the growing region.

As a young man living in New York City in the 1950s, Sondack heard about the Thruway’s plans for a new bridge and was eager to contribute. He approached engineers from Madigan-Hyland, the engineering firm that built the Tappan Zee Bridge, asking how he could get involved.

Eventually, Sondack was engaged full time on the project. One of the many former military men who worked on construction of the Tappan Zee, he says their experience in America’s armed forces helped foster a safe and efficient working environment amid the immense construction equipment and materials.

Sondack’s day-to-day activities included surveying the Tappan Zee Bridge’s caissons, which are hollow concrete bases that support much of the bridge.

Now, as the region’s growing population increases demands on the aging Tappan Zee Bridge, Sondack told project officials, “[Rockland] county needs a bridge of greater capacity; the old bridge won’t be able to handle this in the future. We need a new bridge that will sustain the flow of people into Rockland in the years ahead.”

Sondack observed the scale of the New NY Bridge project evokes the project he worked on all those years ago. “When you take on a project this grand, the amount of coordination and tight-knit supervision is extraordinary,” he noted.

Sondack’s work on the landmark Tappan Zee Bridge project boosted his career, helping him land future jobs and pursue other business opportunities. After the project’s completion, he settled in the Spring Valley area of Rockland County for over a decade. Now as a retiree, he looks forward to crossing the new bridge when the first span opens in 2016.

The New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers in Westchester and Rockland counties are open seven days a week. For locations and hours, visit NewNYBridge.com/contac

2014 New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter

 

Art Show Bridges the Hudson:  

Exhibits on Display this Month


Dozens of art works interpreting the Tappan Zee Bridge and marking the construction of the New NY Bridge will be on display this fall at the new bridge project Community Outreach Centers in Rockland and Westchester. The art was created for the New York State Thruway Authority’s 2014 Bridge Art Show, a juried exhibition that invited local painters, sculptors and photographers to showcase their interpretations of the new bridge design or the existing Tappan Zee Bridge.

READ MORE

The New NY Bridge team’s high standards of quality and precision are crucial to the day-to-day operations of the project. To ensure that the bridge’s foundation piles are welded with consistent accuracy, skilled operators are utilizing advanced mechanical welding machines.

READ MORE

The Hudson Valley is a unique geological formation, created by receding glaciers tens of thousands of years ago. As the colossal sheets of ice melted and formed the Great Lakes, the melt-water rushed down the Palisades and filled the Hudson Valley with enough sediment to bury the Statue of Liberty. This torrential force of nature created the striking Hudson Valley landscape and more recently, a number of geotechnical hurdles for the New NY Bridge project.

READ MORE

 

The New York State Thruway Authority, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) and the U.S. Coast Guard have worked together to establish a safe channel for recreational boaters looking to access Piermont’s popular waterfront. The newly-marked channel is part of the New NY Bridge project team’s ongoing efforts to enhance boater safety in and around the construction area.

RED MOR

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long will it take to build the bridge?
A: The northern span of the new twin-span bridge is scheduled to open in December 2016. The completed twin-span bridge, with westbound traffic on the new northern span and eastbound traffic on the new southern span, is scheduled to open in April 2018.
Get Your E-ZPass® “On-the-Go”at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers
View the latest issues of the New NY Bridge Quarterly Magazine
Visit NewNYBridge.com to subscribe for periodic email updates

UPDATED: VIEWING PLATFORMS TAKE SHAPE AS CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT

 

update

For immediate release: September 5, 2014

UPDATED: VIEWING PLATFORMS TAKE SHAPE AS CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT

Construction on the New NY Bridge viewing platform in Nyack took another step forward this past week as Nyack officials broke ground on a new fishing pier in Memorial Park. The pier will be the site of the Rockland viewing platform. The plan for the site is the result of months of collaboration between village officials and the New NY Bridge project team

Viewing platforms in Nyack and at Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park in Tarrytown will provide residents and visitors with an unobstructed and easily accessible view of the historic project’s progress and will include spotter’s guides, informational signs and high tech binoculars.

The installation of the new bridge’s pile caps will continue the week of Sept. 8. The caps, which cover the foundation piles installed in the river, are large hollow tubs that are fabricated offsite. The forms weigh several hundred tons and are barged to the project site for installation. Once in place, they are filled with reinforcing steel and concrete.

Construction will continue in the Hudson River as crews place the foundation for the New NY Bridge. Work will include pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

A second shift of workers will also continue pile welding, pile cleanout and concrete placement operations associated with permanent foundations.

TZC will also continue construction on the new bridge’s Westchester landing, drilling holes into the bedrock for the foundation. This drilling process will produce less noise than the impact pile driving alternative, and TZC has installed sound mitigation to further reduce noise levels for the eight-week operation. The work will continue to the new westbound abutment in Westchester over the next few weeks.

Sheet pile installation at the Rockland landing is complete at this time. The sheet piles will allow TZC to excavate soil in that location and construct the westbound landing for the new bridge.

Work will continue on the Rockland work trestle near the shoreline, including pile driving and cofferdam installation. The trestle will support equipment used for the construction of the westernmost section of the new bridge.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of five knots, and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):

Monday Sept 08 Northbound, Left Lane near Exit 9 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday Sept 09 Northbound, Left Lane near Exit 9 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday Sept 10 Southbound, Right Lane near Exit 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Ongoing Operations:

  • Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
  • Pile Cap foundation construction
  • Main Span foundation construction
  • Rockland Landing construction
  • Westchester landing construction
  • River Road utility work
  • Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving
  • Survey inspections on existing bridge
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle

PROJECT UPDATE FOR BOATERS

update

NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT ESTABLISHES SAFE CHANNEL FOR PIERMONT BOATERS

Following collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, the New NY Bridge project team has installed channel markers near Piermont to help guide recreational boaters to and from the Hudson River Main Channel.

Soil borings will begin in South Nyack near the intersection of S. Broadway and Cornelison Ave. during the week of August 11 to inform preliminary design options. The samples of material will be taken in different areas to help designers understand subsurface conditions that may be experienced during construction. Some survey activities are also being performed to support these design investigations. These operations require temporary lane closures and traffic control measures including flaggers to maintain safety and movement of local traffic.

Construction will continue in the Hudson River as crews place the foundation for the New NY Bridge. Work will include pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

A second shift of workers will also continue pile welding, pile cleanout and concrete placement operations associated with permanent foundations.

Sheet pile driving at locations on land and near the Rockland landing is temporarily on hold due to high noise levels from the operation. Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) continues to implement additional noise-reducing measures at sheet pile driving operations at the Rockland Landing and in the river at one of the closest piers to the shoreline. Sheet pile driving operations will continue as soon as noise is at an allowable level.

Work will continue on the Rockland work trestle near the shoreline, including pile driving. The trestle will support equipment used for the construction of the western-most section of the new bridge.

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of five knots, and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.

More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.

Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):

Monday Aug 11 Northbound, Left Lane near Exit 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday Aug 11 Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Tuesday Aug 12 Southbound, Left Lane approaching the Toll Plaza and Left hand EZ-Pass Lanes. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday Aug 12 Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Wednesday Aug 13 Northbound, Left Lane near Exit 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday Aug 13 Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Thursday Aug 14 Southbound, Right Lane near Exit 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday Aug 14 Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Friday Aug 15 Southbound, Right Lane near exit 9 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday Aug 15 Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Ongoing Operations:

  • Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
  • Pile Cap foundation construction
  • Main Span foundation construction
  • Rockland Landing construction
  • Westchester Landing construction
  • River Road utility work
  • Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving
  • Survey inspections on existing bridge

Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle

CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF 6/23

update

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue work on the Rockland County landing of the new bridge.  The work will last several weeks and includes the installation of sheet piles, some measuring over 50 feet long.  These interlocking steel sheets will support the existing roadway during the excavation and construction process.  A large crane with a vibratory pile hammer will install the sheets, and be positioned behind a temporary concrete barrier in South Nyack.

In Westchester County, crews will conduct directional boring for future utility relocations under I-87/I-287 west of the toll plazas from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. the week of June 23.  The overnight operation requires the closing of various toll lanes.  Different tolls lanes will be affected as the work progresses.  The Thruway will remain open at all times.

Construction of the New NY Bridge will continue with pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

A second shift of workers will also continue pile welding operations associated with permanent foundations.

Work will also continue on the Rockland temporary work trestle near the county shorelines, including pile driving to install the temporary foundations needed to support the platform. The trestles will support cranes for the construction of the western-most section of the new bridge.

Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):

Monday June 23 Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday June 23 Southbound, Toll Plaza Lanes 6-7-8 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
Tuesday June 24 Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday June 24 Southbound, Toll Plaza Lanes 6-7-8 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
Wednesday June 25 Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday June 25 Southbound, Toll Plaza Lanes 8-9-10 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
Thursday June 26 Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday June 26 Southbound, Toll Plaza Lanes 8-9-10 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
Friday June 27 Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is now available on the project website, NewNYBridge.com, for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.  More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here.

Ongoing Operations:

  • Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
  • Rockland Landing construction
  • Westchester Landing utility relocations
  • River Road utility work
  • Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving
  • Survey inspections on existing bridge
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
  • Armoring of Dredge channel
  • Relocation/Moving to the Temporary Joint Facility at exit 12

FOUNDATION WORK CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE

Bridge Project Update

For immediate release: May 30, 2014

new

FOUNDATION WORK CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE

Construction of the New NY Bridge continues the week of June 2 with pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. A second shift of workers will also continue pile welding operations associated with permanent foundations.

Marine crews are working from the shorelines of Rockland and Westchester counties, moving outward to place permanent foundation piles. Work on the foundations for the main span will continue as well. To learn more about the main span foundation and tower construction see the new “Bridge Rising” animation on NewNYBridge.com

Work will also continue on the Rockland work trestles near the county shorelines, including pile driving to install the temporary foundations needed to support the platforms. The trestle will support cranes for the construction of the western-most sections of the new bridge.

Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):

Monday June 2 Southbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday June 3 Southbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday June 4 Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday June 5 Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday June 6 Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge, weather permitting. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is now available on the project website, NewNYBridge.com, for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.  More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here.

Ongoing Operations:

  • Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
  • Rockland Landing construction
  • Westchester Landing construction
  • River Road utility work
  • Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving
  • Survey inspections on existing bridge
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
  • Armoring of Dredge channel
  • Construction of Temporary Joint Facility at exit 12

Tappan Zee Bridge contracts ensure ‘disadvantaged’ aren’t left out

tjuva@lohud.com11:22 p.m. EDT April 16, 2014

The Tappan Zee Bridge project has been a dream opportunity for small, budding businesses. And companies headed by women and ethnic and racial minorities are getting their own chances to score work on the $3.9 billion bridge replacement project, through a government effort to give a boost to certain groups that have historically been excluded from business opportunities.

The New York State Thruway Authority and bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors is setting aside $314 million — 10 percent of the bridge construction cost — for companies certified as “disadvantaged business enterprises” by the federal government. Because the federal government is providing a low-interest loan to help pay for the Tappan Zee replacement, it requires that such companies are included. Brian Conybeare, special adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the project, said the project team has made a big effort to ensure those firms are included, “which will help them prosper, grow their businesses and employ more local workers.” So far, 60 certified DBEs have contributed to the project, totaling $49.7 million in subcontracts.

Here are some of their stories.

 From ironworker to business owner, Mike Aponte can still vividly recall his first day as an ironworker nearly 30 years ago. Aponte, now 48, was assigned to get coffee for crews building a high-rise on Wall Street.

“Never been up that high — I was shaking in my boots, but I didn’t show it to the men. That was some experience,” Aponte recalled.After working his way up from an ironworker to a foreman to a project supervisor, seven years ago Aponte became the president of his own steel construction company, Tyrek Heights Erectors Inc., a certified DBE based in Yonkers.”In general there has been the misconception that you can’t find a qualified a DBE — that’s not true,” he said. “There are many that are capable and put out quality work. We are not taking advantage of it. We actually perform. We know what we are doing.”So far, his company has done steel work at the TZC office on the Hudson Harbor property in Tarrytown. The firm has also removed and installed steel at the West Nyack building where the state police and Thruway Authority facilities will be temporarily relocated during bridge construction.

Still, Aponte has his sights set on the new structure”I would love to be part of the team that is going to erect and build the bridge,” he said. “To say one day to my grandkids, ‘I was part of this bridge,’ would be great.”

 

In the business of construction, Mahopac native Leigh Scirbona has never been daunted by working in a male-dominated industry. In her 20s, she began working for a highway construction company, reviewing contracts and handling project documents. For the last 25 years, Scirbona, now 56, has headed her own general contracting and concrete company, Advanced Contracting Concepts. The company has done work for the Walkway Over the Hudson project, Westchester and state parks and the New York State Bridge Authority. “I still have people who call me and say, ‘Honey, let me speak to your boss,’ ” she said. “It is still entertaining when they do that.” Last year, she expanded the company to construction administrative support services and landed work on the Tappan Zee project.  “A little over a year later, I’m on one of the largest design-build projects in the United States and one of the largest projects in New York state,” she said. “It’s been terrific.”

When TZC officials called her last year about finding them an office receptionist, Scirbona quickly responded. Not wanting to lose the chance, she worked the job herself for a week until she found someone permanent for the position. Scirbona has six employees as part of the Tappan Zee team, including the project’s documents control manager and a senior administrative assistant, and she hopes to keep expanding the list.The DBE program is critical to ensure all kinds of business owners are included in major infrastructure projects, she said.

“It doesn’t make us less qualified, less intelligent, less capable,” she said. “Without this program, smaller contractors wouldn’t get looked at.”

 

Husband and wife

Cynthia and John Behan share a business, but Cynthia is the one in charge “She really is the boss,” said her husband, co-owner of Behan Planning and Design, a landscape architecture and project planing firm and certified DBE. “She makes all the financial decisions. She makes all the hiring decisions. My role is now securing new work.” Such as the Tappan Zee project. The Behans’ firm, based in Saratoga Springs with a location in New City, has a subcontract with a public relations group hired by TZC. So far, the Behans’ company has helped organize Tappan Zee community outreach meetings and create public newsletters and presentations.

“To have this project that’s running steady for a while, it’s stabilizing for us,” said Cynthia Behan, 58, a landscape architect who also worked on the New City streetscape revitalization. John Behan, also 58, said his wife’s design knowledge is especially helpful when they are asked to put together presentations. “When we get technical documents from the engineers, she can understand the engineer drawings and help present them to the public,” he said. While their Rockland location only has one employee, the couple hopes more work on the project will allow them to hire a second one later this year.

How is a “disadvantaged business enterprise” defined?

The small company must be 51 percent owned by one or more “socially and economically disadvantaged” individuals, which are women and racial and ethnic minority groups.

Business revenue and the owner’s personal net worth are used to determine whether a company qualifies. Government officials conduct personal interviews, business visits and reviews of license and financial records before a firm is certified.

Source: New York State Thruway/U.S. Department of Transportation

TZB firms by the numbers

A total of 135 companies have worked on the project so far, totaling $432 million in subcontracts.

Of those, 60 are considered DBEs, with those subcontracts totaling $49.7 million.

$314 million has been set aside for DBEs

Source: Tappan Zee Constructors

February New NY Bridge Newsletter

newsletter

The New York State Thruway Authority and the New NY Bridge team are proud to present the February issue of the New NY Bridge Newslettera monthly publication designed to keep everyone abreast of the latest news about the project.

 In this issue:

American Made: New York Businesses Benefit From New NY Bridge Project

High Steel Structures, LLC: A Brief Look at One of The Nation’s Pre-Eminent Steel Producer

Reaching the Next Generation: New NY Bridge Project Presents for Science Week

Safety: Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

Please enjoy the February New NY Bridge Newsletter.

 

TZ Task Force Nears Final Meeting

Top Photo

For the past year, the Tappan Zee Bridge Mass Transit Task Force has been
developing recommendations for services on the new bridge.
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM – 02/26/14

TARRYTOWN — The Tappan Zee Bridge Mass Transit Task Force will hold its final meeting Friday and release the short-, mid- and long-term recommendations that its 31 members have developed over the past year.

The recommendations, contained in a 26-page executive summary, offer no surprises and no guarantees that any of them will ever be implemented. The summary will be followed next month with a report that details the actions that Rockland and Westchester counties could take to advance the short-term recommendations for new express bus routes as well as estimates of potential costs.

The task force has never identified a source of funding for transit improvements, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s staff has forcefully steered members away from any suggestions with hefty price tags on the grounds that it can’t afford a new bus rapid transit or commuter rail system and a new $3.9 billion bridge.

Recommendations

The Tappan Zee Bridge Mass Transit Task Force will formally present the recommendations that have been developed over the past year Friday. They include:

Short-term (between now and the new bridge’s completion in 2018)

• Modify existing bus service in Rockland and Westchester to create seven express routes between Suffern and Nanuet and Tarrytown, White Plains and Yonkers, and between White Plains and Tarrytown, Port Chester, Valhalla and The Bronx.

• Install technology that manages traffic flow through ramp metering, signal prioritization and queue jumping, as well as a bus-only lane on the new bridge, to improve travel times.

• Use specially designed buses to differentiate the new service from existing services, and adopt a common fare structure.

• Advance studies of a transit hub in White Plains, reconstruction of the Thruway’s Interchange 10 in South Nyack and construction of a new Thruway interchange at Route 59 in Monsey. Mid-term (up to 15 years after the new bridge’s completion)

• Create a White Plains transit hub around the train station.

• Reconstruct Interchange 11.

• Construct a bus station in the Thruway median and a pedestrian bridge from the Palisades Center.

• Make improvements to Rockland train service on the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines. Long-term (more than 15 years after the new bridge’s completion)

• Pursue revival of passenger rail service on the now freight-only West Shore line in Rockland.

• Consider development of Rockland-to-Westchester commuter rail or light rail.

“We’re not getting a 21st century bridge if we’re not getting mass transit,” said Nancy Proyect, president of the Orange County Citizens Foundation. “We’re not really doing BRT; we’re doing express buses. It’s not a 21st century solution for a 21st century bridge or a 21st century state.”

Proyect, who has advocated for new transit services in the Tappan Zee corridor over the past decade and attended many of the task force’s meetings, predicted the state and the region will come to regret this failure to fund significant improvements in conjunction with the new bridge’s construction.

Before Gov. Cuomo took office and fast-tracked the TZB’s replacement, the state had been pursuing a true BRT system with dedicated travel lanes and stations across the two counties that buses from Orange County could have used. But Cuomo eliminated transit elements from the project, citing high costs and ample opportunity for adding services in the future to what would be a “transit-ready” bridge.

Rockland and Westchester counties then forced Cuomo to form the task force to keep the prospect of transit improvements alive in exchange for their support of the new bridge.

The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Tarrytown Senior Center at 240 W. Main St., on the village’s waterfront.

judyrife@gmail.com

 http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140226/BIZ/402260341/-1/NEWSLETTER100

CREWS MOBILIZE FOLLOWING WINTER WEATHER SHUTDOWN; PILE DRIVING RESUMES ON NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT

new

Project Update

For immediate release: February 21, 2014

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) resumed marine operations and pile driving this week as icy conditions cleared in the Hudson River and crews could safely go back to work. Pile driving operations will continue next week and a second shift of workers will be onsite to resume welding on the piles that will become the permanent foundation for the New NY Bridge.

Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

Beginning the week of Feb. 24, crews will conduct nighttime geotechnical investigations on the Westchester approach to the existing bridge, in the vicinity of the toll plaza. Lane closures to support these operations will be in place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., as needed, to minimize disruptions to traffic. This geotechnical investigation will confirm the soil conditions and ultimately allow the team to further streamline the design of the Westchester landings.

Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):

Monday Feb. 24 Southbound, Right Lane Near Toll Plaza 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Tuesday Feb. 25 Southbound, Right Lane Near Toll Plaza 8  p.m. to 5 a.m.
Wednesday Feb. 26 Southbound, Right Lane Near Toll Plaza 8  p.m. to 5 a.m.
Thursday Feb. 27 Northbound, Right Lane Near Toll Plaza 8  p.m. to 5 a.m.
Friday Feb. 28 Northbound, Right Lane Near Toll Plaza 8  p.m. to 5 a.m.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge, weather permitting. New temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) – 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a modified permit for additional temporary mooring locations during construction of the new bridge. All boaters are advised to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information and the modified mooring permit map can be found on the project website at NewNYBridge.com under the “Boater Safety” icon.

Ongoing Operations:
• Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
• Rockland access ramp modifications
• River Road utility work
• Test pile program
• Permanent pile installation
• Temporary Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving on weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Survey inspections on existing bridge
• Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
• Reinforcement steel pre-assembly at bridge yard

WORK PROGRESSES ON RELOCATION OF NEW YORK STATE POLICE AND THRUWAY AUTHORITY TEMPORARY OPERATIONS FACILITIES

 

 

                                              update

For immediate release: February 7, 2014

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will ramp-up facility and site improvements in preparation for the temporary relocation of the New York State Police and New York State Thruway Authority maintenance facilities.

The State Police and Thruway Authority operations will relocate from their current locations on South Broadway in Tarrytown, and Dockside off of River Road in South Nyack, respectively, to the old Journal News building, located off of exit 12 on Route 303 in Clarkstown. TZC is in the process of improving the building and surrounding site in anticipation of temporarily moving the operations early this summer.

Plans for a permanent replacement facility in Tarrytown for both the State Police and the Thruway Authority are currently being designed.The existing facilities need to be removed to make way for construction of the New NY Bridge.

Severe winter weather and icy conditions necessitate suspension of TZC’s marine operations. Work will resume on the river once temperatures rise and icy conditions allow for safe operations. During the suspension, TZC will maintain a safety crew that will monitor the weather’s impact on the site, reassessing conditions daily. Operations continue on both shore lines and include the creation of the hundreds of steel pipe piles and steel reinforcement materials for the bridge’s foundations.
Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):

Monday Feb. 10 Northbound, Right Lane Near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday Feb. 11 Southbound, Right Lane Near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday Feb. 12 Southbound, Right Lane Near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday Feb. 13 Northbound, Right Lane Near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday Feb. 14 Northbound, Right Lane Near Exit 10 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge, weather permitting. Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) — 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a modified permit for additional temporary mooring locations during construction of the new bridge. All boaters are advised to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information and the modified mooring permit map can be found on the project website at NewNYBridge.com under the “Boater Safety” icon.

Ongoing Operations (weather permitting):

• Rockland access ramp modifications
• Armoring of dredge channel
• River Road utility work
• Test pile program
• Permanent pile installation
• Temporary Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving on weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Survey inspections on existing bridge
• Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
• Reinforcement steel pre-assembly at bridge yard

 

###

NYS Thruway Authority & The New NY Bridge Present January Newsletter

The New York State Thruway Authority and the New NY Bridge team are proud to present the January issue of the New NY Bridge Newsletter, a monthly publication designed to keep everyone abreast of the latest news about the project.In this issue:

  • I Lift NY Super Crane Completes 6,000-Mile Journey to New York
  • Mass Transit Task Force 2014 – Keeping an Eye on the Future
  • New NY Bridge Project Team Completes Winter Food Drive
  • TZC Holds Monthly Business Meeting to Connect with Small Businesses

http://www.newnybridge.com/documents/publications/2014/monthly-newsletter-jan.pdf

Photo: The New York State Thruway Authority and the New NY Bridge team are proud to present the January issue of the New NY Bridge Newsletter, a monthly publication designed to keep everyone abreast of the latest news about the project.</p>
<p>In this issue:<br />
I Lift NY Super Crane Completes 6,000-Mile Journey to New York<br />
Mass Transit Task Force 2014 - Keeping an Eye on the Future<br />
New NY Bridge Project Team Completes Winter Food Drive<br />
TZC Holds Monthly Business Meeting to Connect with Small Businesses<br />
http://www.newnybridge.com/documents/publications/2014/monthly-newsletter-jan.pdf

Tappan Zee Crane Arrives by Boat

NY Times BY STEPHEN FARRELL January 30th, 2014

TAPPENZEE2-articleLarge

A huge crane arrived in New York Harbor Thursday, after a 6,000-mile ocean journey from San Francisco. It will be used to build the new Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River.

Watch Video here:  http://www.nytimes.com/video/nyregion/100000002680602/tappan-zee-crane-arrives-by-boat.html?smid=pl-share

 

Muscular West Coast Worker is on way to Build New Tappan Zee Bridge

NY Times January 27,2014 , Joseph Berger

Read complete NY Times article here:  http://nyti.ms/1jZ4Pm9

A 6,000 mile journey from San Francisco to NY; this might crane will rise to build the New NY Bridge!

TAPPANZEE4-articleLarge

 

Watch Time Lapse Video here: Passing thru the Panama Canal

tappanzee-videoSixteenByNine540

 

 

 

Super Crane Clears the Panama Canal

bilde

For immediate release: January 17, 2014

I LIFT NY SUPER CRANE COMPLETES TRANSIT THROUGH PANAMA CANAL,
CONTINUES JOURNEY TOWARD NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT SITE

The I Lift NY super crane’s journey to the New NY Bridge project began on Dec. 22 and continues as the floating crane completed its transit through the Panama Canal on Jan. 17. Updated information about the journey, including photos and video, will be available at NewNYBridge.com.

The recently nicknamed I Lift NY super crane is owned by Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) and is officially registered with the U.S. Coast Guard as the Left Coast Lifter.

TZC resumed operations this week after severe winter weather and icy conditions required the suspension of work on the river for one week for safety purposes. Foundation construction of the New NY Bridge will continue beginning Monday, as weather permits, with the ongoing installation of permanent piles.

The northbound, right-hand lane and shoulder of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) near exit 10 in Nyack will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, through Thursday, Jan. 23, to allow for work on the northbound access ramp.  The same lanes will be closed on Friday, Jan. 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. New temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) – 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. All boaters are advised to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found on the project website at NewNYBridge.com under the “Boater Safety” icon.

Ongoing Operations:

  • Rockland access ramp modifications
  • Armoring of dredge channel
  • River Road utility work
  • Test pile program
  • Permanent pile installation
  • Temporary Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving on weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Survey inspections on existing bridge
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
  • Reinforcement steel pre-assembly at bridge yard

A Colossal Bridge Will Rise Across The Hudson

 

TZ Under construction

Expected to last 50 years, the Tappan Zee Bridge also known a “The Longest Bridge in New York” is rebuilding what might be the “Widest Bridge in the World”.

Read the complete article here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/20/nyregion/a-colossal-bridge-will-rise-across-the-hudson.html?hp&_r=0

 

GIANT FLOATING CRANE PREPARES FOR PASSAGE THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL, EN ROUTE TO NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT

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The new NY bridge

For immediate release: January 10, 2014

GIANT FLOATING CRANE PREPARES FOR PASSAGE THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL, EN ROUTE TO NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT

The journey that began late last month for one of the world’s largest floating cranes continues as it prepares to pass through the Panama Canal this weekend.

The crane, known as the Left Coast Lifter, is expected to begin its passage through the Panama Canal as soon as Saturday, Jan. 11, and updated information on its journey will be available at NewNYBridge.com. It departed from Oakland, California, on Dec. 22, escorted by tug boats, and is expected to arrive in New York at the end of the January.

A fourth construction camera is now live and is also available on the project website. The public can stay up-to-date on the progress of the New NY Bridge project with views from this camera, which captures construction as viewed from Tarrytown, as well as through those already live from Rockland County, Westchester County and on the bridge. An interactive archive calendar also allows viewers to take a look back at progress already made.

As weather permits, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue construction of the foundation of the New NY Bridge with ongoing installation of permanent piles. TZC plans to begin full production again on Monday, Jan. 13, assuming temperatures rise and ice clears the river.

On Monday, Jan. 13 and Tuesday, Jan. 14, the southbound, right-hand lane and shoulder of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) near exit 10 in Nyack will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Wednesday, Jan. 15 and Thursday, Jan. 16, the northbound, right-hand lane and shoulder of the Thruway (I-87/I-287) near exit 10 in Nyack will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to allow for work on the northbound maintenance ramp.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will be installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. New temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) – 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. All boaters are advised to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found on the project website at NewNYbridge.com under the “Boater Safety” icon.

Ongoing Operations:

• Rockland access ramp modifications
• Armoring of dredge channel
• River Road utility work
• Test pile program
• Permanent pile installation
• Temporary Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving on weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Survey inspections on existing bridge
• Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
• Reinforcement steel pre-assembly at bridge yard

New NY Bridge Update January 03, 2014: NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT SUSPENDS OPERATIONS TODAY, TOMORROW DUE TO WINTER STORM

For immediate release: January 03, 2014

NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT SUSPENDS OPERATIONS TODAY, TOMORROW DUE TO WINTER STORM

Due to severe weather conditions, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC), suspended scheduled project operations for today and tomorrow, but a small crew remains on site to continuously monitor conditions and respond immediately to any weather-related issues.

Normal operations are scheduled to resume Monday, as crews continue construction of the foundation of the New NY Bridge with the ongoing installation of permanent piles.

Subsurface utility investigations will take place in Tarrytown the week of Jan. 6. To facilitate this operation, the northbound right-hand lane of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) near the approach to the Tappan Zee Bridge in Tarrytown will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6 and Tuesday, Jan. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

>From Tuesday, Jan. 7, through Thursday, Jan. 9, the northbound right-hand lane and shoulder of the Thruway (I-87/I-287) near exit 10 in Nyack will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The same section of roadway will be closed on Friday, Jan. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., to allow for work on the northbound maintenance ramp.

Mariners should be aware that Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will be installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. New temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) – 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. All boaters are advised to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found on the project website at NewNYbridge.com under the “Boater Safety” icon.

Ongoing Operations:
• Rockland access ramp modifications
• Armoring of dredge channel
• River Road utility work
• Test pile program
• Permanent pile installation
• Temporary Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving on weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Survey inspections on existing bridge
• Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
• Reinforcement steel pre-assembly at bridge yard

Giant crane Left Coast Lifter on way to build new Tappan Zee Bridge

 Ocean voyage expected to take 6 to 8 weeks

LoHud December 31, 2013 Theresa Juva Brown

http://www.lohud.com/videonetwork/2968321291001/Left-Coast-Lifter-heads-for-Tappan-Zee-Bridge-project

The gargantuan crane that will help build the new Tappan Zee Bridge is on its way.

New video released by bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors shows the Left Coast Lifter passing under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco this week as it begins its 6,000-mile voyage to the Hudson River. The journey is expected to take six to eight weeks. The 400-foot-long floating crane — one of the world’s largest — will travel down the West Coast, through the Panama Canal, across the Gulf of Mexico, up the East Coast and through New York Harbor.

The Left Coast Lifter, previously used on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project, can lift 1,750 metric tons, or 12 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty. It will help install the huge deck panels on the new Tappan Zee and demolish the existing Tappan Zee in 2017.

The crane is owned by Fluor Corp. and American Bridge Co., two of the companies that make up Tappan Zee Constructors.

bilde

 

Read complete article here: http://www.lohud.com/article/20131231/NEWS02/312310014/Giant-crane-Left-Coast-Lifter-on-way-to-build-new-Tappan-Zee-Bridge-(video)?nclick_check=1

No Construction For Christmas Day!

The new NY bridge

For immediate release: December 20, 2013

NO CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR CHRISTMAS DAY, RAMP RE-OPENS TO ACCOMMODATE HOLIDAY TRAVELERS

No construction activities are scheduled for the New NY Bridge project on Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25, and the Tarrytown entrance ramp from South Broadway to the Tappan Zee Bridge has been temporarily re-opened to traffic to accommodate holiday travelers.

Referred to as “Ramp E” by the New York State Thruway Authority, the ramp from Route 9 southbound to I-87/I-287 was closed earlier this month to allow Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) to utilize the area surrounding the ramp for construction access to keep construction vehicles off local streets, perform underground utility work and shift Thruway traffic headed toward the Tappan Zee Bridge onto the ramp area in 2014.

The ramp, which has routinely closed for bridge-related maintenance projects, will close again in January and will remain closed for the duration of the project. Its complete closure is required for the construction of the New NY Bridge, and to ensure safety for the traveling public and construction workers.

Excavation and preparation for the installation of permanent sound barriers continues along I-87 northbound/I-287 westbound in the area south of exit 10 in Rockland County.

This weekend, one of the country’s most famous floating cranes will weigh anchor and begin its journey, traveling from Oakland Harbor, near San Francisco, to the site of the New NY Bridge project. Named “The Left Coast Lifter” for its use in the replacement of the eastern span of the San Francisco—Oakland Bay Bridge, the floating crane will be used in the construction of the New NY Bridge.

A highly experienced crew of mariners will guide the 400-foot-long crane along the West Coast, through the Panama Canal and the Gulf of Mexico, and then up the East Coast before arriving in the Hudson River. The trip is approximately 6,000-miles long and will take between six and eight weeks to complete.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will be installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. New temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. All boaters are advised to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found on the project website at NewNYbridge.com under the “Boater Safety” icon.

Ongoing Operations:
• Rockland access ramp modifications
• Armoring of dredge channel
• River Road utility work
• Test pile program
• Permanent pile installation
• Temporary Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving on weekdays7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Survey inspections on existing bridge
• Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
• Reinforcement steel pre-assembly at bridge yard

West Nyack buildings demolished to clear way for ‘Palisades Plaza’

LoHud By Akiko Matsuda November 27, 2013

http://m.lohud.com/RocklandNews/article?a=2013311260048&f=1168

Demolition work in West Nyack has made the way for a strip mall, to be known as Palisades Plaza.

Demolition work in West Nyack has made the way for a strip mall, to be known as Palisades Plaza. – Akiko Matsuda/The Journal News

WEST NYACK — A triangular lot with three buildings that was an eyesore for years will soon become a strip mall with a restaurant.

The 2.36-acre site is east of Route 303 and south of the New York State Thruway. The lot originally consisted of three separate properties: a single-story mixed-use office and light manufacturing building, a former state police barracks, and a former Texaco station.

Those buildings were all demolished recently. On Tuesday, heavy machinery was crushing chunks of concrete left behind.

The development is the latest sign of life to spring out of disused lots in the Tappan Zee Bridge corridor.

Developer Lawrence Adler of East Syracuse has gone before the Clarkstown Planning Board for his plans to build a 13,900-square-foot strip mall at the site, combining the three lots into one.

“Palisades Plaza” will include four retail stores and a restaurant with drive-thru service. Names of the future occupants are not mentioned in the application.

Adler and Ira Emanuel, an attorney representing the developer, did not return phone and email messages seeking comment.

Clarkstown Principal Town Planner Joe Simoes said the developer has taken all the necessary steps with regulatory jurisdictions.

At its meeting last month, the Clarkstown Planning Board granted final approval for the project, and the developer is in the process of getting Planning Board Chairwoman Shirley Thormann’s signoff.

The Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project has been stimulating the local real estate scene, as bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors is leasing properties for temporary construction staging areas.

The former Journal News printing plant at 160 N. Route 303 — just north of the proposed Palisades Plaza — is slated to become a temporary home for state police and the New York state Thruway Authority.

Simoes said he didn’t believe the strip mall project was prompted by the bridge construction because the developer has been unsuccessfully trying to bring new businesses to the site for some time.

Because it’s an oddly shaped property that was partly zoned “residential,” it has been difficult to develop, Simoes said. Most recently, a mini-storage project was proposed, but the plan didn’t work out, he said.

The zoning issue has been resolved, making a way for the strip mall.

Simoes said the new development would be good for the community.

“It’s been such an eyesore for years that it’s an improvement,” he said.

Twitter: @LohudAkiko

THIRD NEW CONSTRUCTION CAMERA GOES LIVE

Project Update

For immediate release: November 15, 2013

new

Residents and motorists now have a Rockland County-view of work at the site of the New NY Bridge with the addition of a third construction camera. The construction camera went live this afternoon at NewNYBridge.com, and joins two others that provide views from Tarrytown and the Tappan Zee Bridge, respectively.

Located on a hill overlooking the Hudson River in Upper Grandview, the newest construction camera offers a view of the existing span, as well as barges, equipment and the permanent piles that are currently being constructed.

The installation of permanent piles will continue at the site next week, as will “armoring” of the dredge channel. Armoring is a process that helps protect the water quality for marine life. Currently, TZC crews are layering sand and stone within the dredge channel to armor the river bottom in an effort to ensure sediment is not kicked up by construction vessels.

The creation of the first of four new permanent noise barriers is also underway in Rockland County and sections of the existing noise wall along northbound I-87/I-287 in the area south of exit 10 will continue to be removed next week. From Monday, Nov. 18 to Wednesday, Nov. 20, one northbound right-hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 in the area south of exit 10 in Nyack will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for sound wall removal. A temporary noise barrier and noise monitors have been installed nearby and additional temporary noise barriers will be installed along a local access ramp and the New York State Thruway, after improvements are made to the ramp.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will be installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. New temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600’ navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. All boaters are advised to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard in the future may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found on the project website under the “Boating Safety” icon.
Ongoing operations:

  • Rockland access ramp modifications
  • Armoring of dredge channel
  • River Road utility work
  • Test pile program
  • Rockland Dock Extension – finishing work under existing bridge
  • Temporary Rockland trestle construction including pile driving on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Survey inspections on existing bridge
  • Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
  • Reinforcement steel pre-assembly at bridge yard

Nyack NY Chamber President Talks up New TZ Bridge

Rand Commercial Services own Scott Baird wears another hat as Nyack Chamber of Commerce President.

Watch his LoHud interview as he talks about the benefits the new bridge will have for residents & tourism to Rockland County.

Scott Baird Talks Benefits of New TZ Bridge

 

 

Tappan Zee Bridge; A Video Introduction

Click here: A Bridge to a New Era Video

 

The Tappan Zee Bridge today can be nearly synonymous with traffic, from spectacular jams on the steel superstructure to residual delays clogging streets in Tarrytown and Nyack. The bridge almost 60 years ago was heralded for linking two villages, two counties and carrying “possibly (the) most modern super highway in the world,” according to the Rockland Journal-News. As the region and its residents ready to watch Tappan Zee 2.0 cross the Hudson River, The Journal News looks at the beginnings of the first bridge and what the second one may bring.

Read more:  http://tappanzeebridge.lohud.com

 

Feds Will Loan Up to $1.6 Billion for TZ Bridge Construction

A Big Loan  for a Big Project

New City Patch, Posted by  (Editor) , 
patch
Photo credit: Carlos Gonzalez
Photo credit: Carlos Gonzalez

The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved a loan of up to $1.6 billion through its Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program for construction of a new Tappan Zee Bridge.

The loan is the largest ever in the history of the TIFIA program.

The Secretary’s approval comes after the DOT’s Credit Council met this morning to review the loan application, said Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D, Westchester-Rockland).

Yesterday, Lowey wrote a letter urging the DOT to expedite consideration of the TIFIA application. It can be viewed here.

“This is a huge milestone for the construction of a New Tappan Zee Bridge, a critical link in our region’s infrastructure system and lifeline for commuters and businesses,” she said in a statement. “I am excited that the DOT has approved the largest ever TIFIA loan for a transportation project and that the work on a new bridge can continue to move forward.”

Actual construction started last week. Patch has that and all the TZB news on our dedicated page.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, “”Approval of New York State’s request for this loan is great news for the tens of thousands of commuters who depend on the Tappan Zee every day, for communities in the Lower Hudson Valley, and for our entire state.

“This is a huge win for New York State, creating thousands of jobs, and an endorsement of one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in our history. It shows that despite over a decade of delay, New York can continue to build big,” Cuomo said.

Plans for a new bridge to replace the Tappan Zee were first discussed in 1999, and over the next 11 years, $88 million in taxpayer dollars was spent, 430 meetings were held, 150 concepts were considered, according to the governor’s office.

State Assemblyman David Buchwald said, “Today’s announcement is a victory for all New Yorkers. It reaffirms our progress on building the new Tappan Zee Bridge that is essential for our region’s economic vitality. I applaud Governor Cuomo for his leadership through each phase of this important project.”

Harriet Cornell, Chairwoman of the Rockland County Legislature, said the new bridge would be an important addition to the nation’s transportation network.

“Governor Cuomo has made this project a signature issue, and the federal government recognized its significance by granting the largest TIFIA loan in history,” Cornell said. “This bridge will provide economic development, thousands of jobs during construction, access to the entire Northeast and will be a magnificent sight spanning the Hudson River. This is wonderful news.”

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino also congratulated the governor; but, he pointed out there are still financial issues to be dealt with.

“I congratulate Governor Cuomo on this good news. The next step is how do we finance the rest of the bridge and the mass transit improvements to and from the bridge, while keeping tolls as low as possible,” Astorino said. “The governor has my full support to help the state come up with the best financing plans possible.”

http://newcity.patch.com/groups/transportation/p/feds-will-loan-up-to-16-billion-for-tz-bridge-construction-newcity?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001&evar4=picks-1-post&newsRef=true

 

The first permanent piles for the New Tappan Zee Bridge are going in this week.

Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow Patch; Posted by (Editor) , 

349fd2e38bd6114054c0c042a06a4d90

The big news on today’s media boat tour of the work surrounding the Tappan Zee Bridge was that construction is now officially underway for the new bridge.

All the action we’ve been seeing for months in the river has been preconstruction work – test piling, geotechnical investigations, dredging. Just this week, permanent piles are being vibrated, and then pounded, in place to begin forming the bridge’s foundation.

“This week, we are putting shovels in the ground and starting formal construction on a new bridge to replace the Tappan Zee, the largest infrastructure project New York State has undertaken in decades,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a press release following the tour, which was cut a little short due to the threat of rain.

“After more than a decade of delay, New York State has moved this project forward at a dramatic pace while working with the community, involving the public and protecting the local environment,” Cuomo said. “Once completed, drivers in Rockland, Westchester and surrounding areas will finally have a safer, less congested bridge that will include a walkway for pedestrians and bikers and accommodates future mass transit.”

The project, said Thruway Authority Chairman Howard Milstein, is on track with a projected build timeline in place of just under five years.

Bridge cam anyone? You can watch the progress up close as it happens on a new ‘Construction Camera’ section of the New NY bridge website.

The specifics of the five-year timeline to date:

· Dredging to prepare for bridge construction is ongoing until November 1, and will also take place during August, September and October, 2014.
· October 2013: Main span permanent pile installation begins
· November 2013: Permanent pile installation begins for approaches
· March 2014: Work begins on approach substructure
· June 2014: Work begins on main span substructure
· September 2014: Work begins for erection of superstructure
· Late 2014 / early 2015: Work begins on cable stay installation
· Late 2016: Complete north span
· December 2016: Relocate westbound traffic to new north span
· February 2017: Relocate existing eastbound traffic to new north span
· February 2017: Start demolition of existing bridge
· Late 2017: Both spans complete
· November 2017: Relocate eastbound traffic from new north span to new south span
· April 2018: Physical completion of project
· July 2018: Final acceptance of project

There are reports that one of the world’s largest floating cranes, the Left Coast Lifter, is in Virginia now, ever so slowly making its way upriver for the biggest show we’ll see yet.

Read complete article here:

http://tarrytown.patch.com/groups/tappan-zee-bridge/p/construction-for-new-tappan-zee-bridge-begins-now

The New York Bridge Quarterly Newsletter

The New NY Bridge Newsletter

 

Quarterly Marketing Report

The NewNYBridge releases it quarterly Newsletter.

Check out the construction progress and what the future holds for the TappanZee Bridge project.

Visit: www.TheNewNyBridge.com

 

Bridge Construction Continues

new

For immediate release: September 27, 2013

NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES CONTINUE

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC will continue the construction of the Rockland County trestle.
This work will include daytime pile driving to install the temporary foundation piles needed to support the platform. Pile driving will be limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and, occasionally, from 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. 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 also 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.

>From Tuesday, October 1 to Thursday, October 3, one northbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 between exit 9 and the Tappan Zee Bridge will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for utility location testing. One northbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 in the vicinity of exit 10 will be closed on Wednesday, October 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for catch basin repair.

Additionally, utility work will continue on River Road in South Nyack. This work will continue through November and will involve reducing the roadway to one lane during daytime hours. During non-work hours, the road will have temporary coverings in place that may create uneven driving surfaces. Motorists and bicyclists should slow down and use extreme caution in the area.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. All boaters are required to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area.

If necessary, the Coast Guard in the future may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes.

The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found on the project website, NewNYBridge.com, under the boating safety icon.

Ongoing operations:
•Dredging operations will continue 24/7
•Test pile program
•Rockland Dock Extension 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
•Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Regulators release Hudson River restoration plan

Written by : Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — A draft plan released by state regulators on Tuesday will guide efforts to restore and protect the Hudson River Estuary from the Troy dam to the Tappan Zee Bridge.

The Department of Environmental Conservation is taking public comment on the plan until the end of October and is holding public information sessions Wednesday afternoon at Margaret Norrie State Park in Staatsburg and Sept. 24 at Columbia Greene Community College in Hudson.

The plan identifies four priority habitats for restoration: tidal wetlands, shallows, shorelines and tributaries. It says those habitats are important to the overall health of the ecosystem but have been degraded or destroyed on a large scale by development.

About half the estuary’s shoreline remains in a natural state, but the rest has been engineered with walls and other structures to protect property or support transportation, recreation or industrial activities.

Besides harming wildlife, loss of shoreline wetlands and shallows has made riverside communities more vulnerable to flooding by removing natural barriers that protect against weather extremes and rapid sea level rise, authorities said.

“Restoration of healthy habitats will provide benefits for fish, birds, turtles, crabs, mammals and invertebrate animals and to the residents of the Hudson River Valley and the state of New York,” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said in a prepared statement.

Habitats in the estuary, which is tidal up to the federal dam at Troy, have been damaged since the early 1800s by navigational dredging, filling of wetlands, construction of the railroad along sensitive shoreline habitats and construction of dams in tributaries.

The habitat restoration plan is intended to be used by community groups, governments, scientists and conservation organizations.

Restoration actions identified in the plan include dam removal and culvert improvement in tributaries to promote fish passage; invasive-species control programs; preservation of existing shore land habitat; and use of environmentally sound methods of shoreline stabilization where necessary to protect property.

TZ Construction to Begin On River Road, S Nyack

new

For immediate release: September 6, 2013

UTILITY WORK BEGINS ON RIVER ROAD

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC will begin utility work on River Road in South Nyack the week of Sept. 9. This work will continue through November and will involve reducing the roadway to one lane during daytime hours. During off hours the road will have temporary coverings in place that may create uneven driving surfaces. Motorists and bicyclists should slow down and use caution in the area.

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, from 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. 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 on the project website, NewNYBridge.com, under the boating safety icon.

On Monday, Sept. 9, and Tuesday, Sept. 10, one southbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 between exit 11 and the Tappan Zee Bridge will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for shoulder work. On Wednesday, Sept. 11, and Thursday, Sept. 12, one northbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 between exit 8 and exit 9 will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3p.m. for shoulder work.

Ongoing operations:
• Dredging operations will continue 24/7
• 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

Tappan Zee Bridge Labor Day Holiday Schedule 2013

update

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

ROCKLAND TEMPORARY TRESTLE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

update

For immediate release: August 23, 2013

Work is scheduled to begin the week of August 26 on the Rockland trestle, which is the second temporary work platform to be constructed as part of the New NY Bridge Project.

The work will 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 12 noon to 7 p.m. The trestle is a work platform that will eventually 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 near the Rockland shoreline

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. This work will be performed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and, occasionally, on Saturdays from 12 noon to 7 p.m. The test pile program will verify subsurface conditions and test structural load capacities in preparation for construction of the new bridge’s permanent foundation.

Beginning Monday, August 26 through Wednesday, August 28, one northbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 between the existing Tappan Zee Bridge and Interchange 11 in Nyack will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the installation of concrete traffic barriers to delineate traffic from the construction zone to ensure safety for traveling public and work crews.

Additional geotechnical borings to support design will be conducted on the river at various locations. Operations will run 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday.

Tappan Zee Constructors (TZC) will continue dredging operations in the Hudson River as part of the New NY Bridge Project. Dredging will occur through October 31 to avoid negatively impacting migration and spawning patterns of local sturgeon populations and other fish species.

Dredging crews will work 24/7 starting from the main navigation channel end of the dredging footprint towards the shoreline on both the Rockland and Westchester County sides of the bridge. 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.

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.

Ongoing operations:
– Test pile program

– Rockland bulkhead construction (including fence & gates) and Dock Extension at Rockland (under existing bridge)

– 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
Rockland:
TZC will be installing temporary noise barriers along the right of way adjacent to I-87/I-287 near Ferris Lane. Fencing and sidewalk work will continue along River Road in South Nyack north of the existing bridge. This work is part of the bulkhead construction area and will be performed on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. At times, River Road will be limited to one lane with flag persons in place to ensure the safe flow of traffic.

New NY Bridge Update August 16, 2013: LOAD TESTING FOR THE TEST PILE PROGRAM BEGINS; LANE CLOSURES ON BRIDGE

bridge

For immediate release: August 16, 2013

LOAD TESTING FOR THE TEST PILE PROGRAM BEGINS;
LANE CLOSURES ON BRIDGE

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will begin testing both static and lateral loads this week as part of its test pile program.

These load tests are performed to ensure piles are capable of sustaining the design load of the new bridge. Testing will be conducted over a 40-hour period.

Impact pile driving will continue this week as part of the ongoing test pile program and will continue through October at various locations for future pile foundations. This work will be performed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and, at times, on Saturdays from 12 noon to 7 p.m. The test pile program will verify subsurface conditions and test structural load capacities in preparation for construction of the new bridge’s permanent foundation.

Overnight lane closures will also be required in both directions on I-87/I-287 and the Tappan Zee Bridge due to various construction activities.

Beginning Monday, August 19 through the morning of Wednesday, August 21, one southbound right hand lane and shoulder between exit 11 and the Tappan Zee Bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the installation of concrete traffic barriers to facilitate the reconstruction of the Thruway maintenance ramp. Additionally, one southbound right hand lane on the Tappan Zee Bridge will be closed during this period for the installation of structural monitors.

Beginning Wednesday, August 21 through the morning of Saturday, August 24, one northbound right hand lane and shoulder between exit 9 and the Tappan Zee Bridge, as well as one northbound right hand lane on the Tappan Zee Bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the installation of structural monitors.

Additional geotechnical borings will be conducted on the river at various locations. Operations will run 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday.

TZC will continue dredging operations in the Hudson River as part of the New NY Bridge Project. Dredging will occur through October 31 to avoid negatively impacting migration and spawning patterns of local sturgeon populations and other fish species.

Dredging crews will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting from the main navigation channel end of the dredging footprint towards the shoreline on both the Rockland and Westchester County sides of the bridge. 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.

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.

Ongoing operations:
· Test pile program
· Rockland bulkhead construction (including fence & gates) and Dock Extension at Rockland (under existing bridge)
· 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

Rockland:
TZC will continue fencing and sidewalk work along River Road in South Nyack north of the existing bridge. This work is part of the bulkhead construction area and will be performed on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. At times, River Road will be limited to one lane with flag persons in place to ensure the safe flow of traffic.

DREDGING OPERATIONS BEGIN, TEST PILE PROGRAM IMPACT PILE DRIVING ONGOING

new

Project Update

For immediate release: August 2, 2013

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) began 24 hour a day dredging operations today in the Hudson River as part of the New NY Bridge Project.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including a request that boaters use extreme caution within 1,000 feet of all construction barges as a safety precaution.

The Coast Guard boating safety information can be found the project website, www.NewNYBridge.com.

Dredging will occur over a three-month period from August 1 through October 31 to avoid negatively impacting migration and spawning patterns of local sturgeon populations and other fish species.

Dredging crews will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting from the main navigation channel end of the dredging footprint towards the shoreline on both the Rockland and Westchester County sides of the bridge. 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 processed and properly disposed at offsite locations.

Impact Pile driving began this week as part of the ongoing test pile program and will continue over the next three months at various locations for future pile foundations. This work will be performed 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and at times on Saturdays from 12 noon to 7 p.m. The test pile program will verify subsurface conditions test structural load capacities in preparation for construction of the new bridge’s permanent foundation.

Ongoing operations:
· Test pile program
· Rockland bulkhead construction (including fence & gates)
· Dock Extension at Rockland (under existing bridge)
· Temporary Westchester trestle construction including pile driving on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
· Survey inspections on existing bridge
· Rockland and Westchester environmental monitor installations
· Geotechnical land borings
· Mobilization at the exit 10 staging area
· Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Westchester:
Limited test-boring operations will continue on Thruway property near the Irving Neighborhood in Tarrytown. The work is scheduled to be conducted between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday, August 5 through Wednesday, August 6.

Rockland:
TZC, LLC will reconstruct the sidewalk along River Road in S. Nyack north of the existing bridge. This is part of the Bulkhead construction area and will be performed between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, August 5 and Tuesday, August 6. River Road will be limited to one lane with flag persons in place to control traffic safely.

Survey activity will occur in the southbound lanes of I-87/I-287 and will require a temporary lane closure between exit 10 and the existing bridge from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, August 5 and Tuesday, August 6.

Pile Driving Set To Begin This Week

The New Tappan Zee Bridge

For immediate release: July 26, 2013

TEST PILE PROGRAM IMPACT PILE DRIVING SET TO BEGIN,
ROCKLAND THRUWAY DOCK CONSTRUCTION GETTING UNDERWAY

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) is scheduled to begin impact pile driving as part of the ongoing test pile operation this week. The test pile installation will continue over the next two to three months at the proposed locations of the foundations for the New NY Bridge. The test pile program will verify subsurface conditions in the river and the structural capacity of the pilings.

Under the Final Environmental Impact Statement, the hours of impact pile driving are restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 12:00 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday. There is no impact pile driving allowed at night or on Sundays. Noise monitors are in place along the Rockland and Westchester shorelines and the data is available at www.NewNYBridge.com.

Construction of the New York State Thruway’s temporary dock at the Rockland Maintenance facility on River Road in South Nyack will begin the week of July 29. TZC will reconstruct a maintenance dock that was damaged during Superstorm Sandy. This new dock will allow the Thruway to continue its normal maintenance work on the existing Tappan Zee as the construction activities for the New NY Bridge get underway.

Orange and Rockland Utilities will install new utility poles near River Road in South Nyack to support utility relocations which are needed for the New NY Bridge project. These operations may require temporary lane closures and will be performed by the utility.

Ongoing operations:
· Test pile program
· Rockland bulkhead construction
· Temporary Westchester trestle construction including pile driving on weekdays from
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
· Survey inspections on existing bridge
· Rockland and Westchester environmental monitor installations
· Geotechnical land borings
· Mobilization at the exit 10 staging area
· Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Westchester:
Survey crews will be conducting surveys in the toll plaza area in Tarrytown on Wednesday, July 31 requiring temporary closures of toll lanes conducted one at a time.

Rockland:
Geotechnical boring operations to investigate subsurface soil conditions will be conducted in the northbound lanes of I-87/I-287 and will require a temporary lane closure between the existing bridge to Interchange 10 in South Nyack from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, July 29 through Wednesday, July 31. Southbound lane closures will be required from Interchange 10 to the existing bridge between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 1 and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, August 2.

VOTING SHOWS MAJORITY FAVOR NOISE BARRIERS FOR THE NEW NY BRIDGE

update

Project Update

For immediate release: July 19, 2013

Last month, the New York State Thruway Authority, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) invited local residents tovote on the placement of proposed noise barriers for the New NY Bridge Project.

“The public has spoken and they overwhelmingly support the construction of sound reducing traffic noise barriers as part of the New NY Bridge Project,” said Brian Conybeare, Governor Cuomo’s Special Adviser for the New NY Bridge Project. “This is another way we trying to make this the most inclusive and transparent infrastructure project in the history of the state. We will continue to include input from local residents and other stakeholders as the project moves forward.”

Noise barriers are recommended as a form of traffic noise abatement only if they are determined to be both feasible and reasonable. According to Thruway and NYSDOT noise policies, as well as FHWA noise regulations, once a noise barrier is deemed both feasible and reasonable, ‘benefited receptors’, defined as property owners and/or residents of properties that would receive at least a five decibel reduction in noise level as a result of the proposed noise barriers, have an opportunity to cast a vote either for or against its construction.

Public meetings were held in both Westchester and Rockland counties during the week of June 23. At the meetings, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC explained the locations and heights of the proposed walls for the areas that met the noise mitigation requirements, along with any possible aesthetic preferences.

The voting results show the benefitted receptors overwhelmingly favor having noise barriers constructed as part of the New NY Bridge project. Overall, 306 ballots were sent to benefited receptors. The tabulated results from the vote appear below:

Barrier

Votes For

Votes Against

Results

Westchester East Sound Barrier

87

1

98% FOR BARRIER

Westchester West Sound Barrier

2

0

100% FOR BARRIER

Rockland North Sound Barrier

96

5

95% FOR BARRIER

Rockland South Sound Barrier

31

2

94% FOR BARRIER

NEW NY BRIDGE TEST PILE PROGRAM STARTS NEXT WEEK

The new NY bridge

 

For immediate release: July 12, 2013

NEW NY BRIDGE TEST PILE PROGRAM STARTS NEXT WEEK

Beginning the week of July 15, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC will install the first test piles for the New NY Bridge.

The test pile operations will be conducted over the next three months at proposed locations for pile foundations. Work will start at the main span footings. Piles will be placed by utilizing both vibratory and impact installation techniques. The test pile program will verify subsurface conditions in preparation for the construction of the bridge’s permanent foundation.

Multiple crews will conduct night time boring operations along I-87/I-287 in both Westchester and Rockland Counties. The night time operations are necessary due to lane closure restrictions during day time hours that are in place to keep traffic flowing over the current bridge. Boring operations will begin at exit 10 in Rockland County and move west into Westchester County.

Ongoing operations

– Temporary Westchester trestle construction including pile driving on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
– Survey inspections on existing bridge
– Rockland environmental monitor installations continue
– Geotechnical land borings
– Mobilization at the exit 10 staging area
– Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Westchester:
Night time boring operations to investigate subsurface soil conditions will be conducted in the southbound shoulder of I-87/I-287 and will require a temporary right lane closure between the existing bridge and exit 9 on Friday, July 19 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Rockland:
Night time boring operations to investigate subsurface soil conditions will be conducted in the southbound shoulder of I-87/I-287 and will require a temporary right lane closure between exit 10 and the existing bridge from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 18.

ONGOING PRECONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES CONTINUE ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT

The new NY bridge

For immediate release: July 5, 2013

ONGOING PRECONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES CONTINUE ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC, LLC) will continue preconstruction activities the week of July 8 in Westchester and Rockland Counties.

Ongoing operations:

– Cleaning and preparation for future construction of the Thruway’s Rockland Bulkhead
– Construction of the temporary Westchester work trestle which includes pile driving operations that will occur between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
– Survey inspections on existing bridge
– Rockland environmental monitor installations continue
– Geotechnical land borings
– Mobilization at the Exit 10 staging area
– Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Lane closures will be in place on the right lane of northbound I-87/I-287 on Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for installation of instrumentation to monitor the existing bridge during construction. Lane closures will also be in place on the southbound right lane of I-87/I-287 Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the same activity.

Holiday Construction Schedule for TZ Bridge

The new NY bridge

For immediate release: June 28, 2013

NO WORK SCHEDULED JULY 4–NEW NY BRIDGE CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE DAY

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will not work on July 4 in observance of Independence Day.

Preconstruction activities will continue throughout the week; however, TZC will have no lane closures in order to keep traffic moving on the Thruway.

Ongoing operations:

– Cleaning and preparation for future construction of the Thruway’s Rockland Bulkhead
– Construction of the temporary Westchester work trestle which includes pile driving operations that will occur weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (except for July 4)
– Survey inspections on existing bridge
– Rockland environmental monitor installations continue
– Geotechnical land borings
– Mobilization at the Exit 10 staging area
– Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Westchester:

Limited geotechnical analysis boring operations continue this week on Thruway property and will not require lane closures as work will be performed behind barriers. Work may be scheduled between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Rockland:

Limited geotechnical analysis boring operations continue this week on Thruway property and will not require lane closures as work will be performed behind barriers. Work may be scheduled between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Tappan Zee Constructor’s Designing The New Tappan Zee Bridge

Lohud; June 18, 2013 By Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed

bilde

TARRYTOWN — With technical diagrams covering the walls and rows of workers hunched over laptops at portable tables, it’s a world of deadlines and engineering calculations at the headquarters of Tappan Zee Constructors on White Plains Road.

Despite long days, there’s a quiet excitement to the hard effort of designing and building the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

“You can feel the buzz in this office when you come in here, I don’t care what time of day — it’s buzzing,” TZC president Darrell Waters said on Friday during an exclusive sit-down with The Journal News, joined by Walter Reichert, TZC’s vice president. Waters and Reichert are employees of Fluor Corp. and Granite Construction, two of the four companies that make up TZC.

From the project’s $3.9 billion price tag to the pair of 400-foot cranes set to arrive by barge this week, virtually every aspect of the bridge replacement is on a grand scale, including Waters’ attitude about such a challenge.

“I’m a big job guy,” Waters said. “They don’t get any bigger than a big job in New York — it’s like playing baseball.”

The pair of veteran civil engineers also worked on the new World Trade Center, making the Tappan Zee project their second high-profile job in recent years. And it’s not a typical bridge project.

“This one’s from scratch,” Reichert said. “All the way up, it’s brand new. You don’t get very many opportunities in the New York area to do that.”

The colossal undertaking keeps TZC’s top bridge designers and engineers busy 12 to 13 hours a day. The team is so enthusiastic, Waters and Reichert have to remind them that it’s a marathon task, not a sprint.

“It’s five years’ worth of work, so you have got to be careful,” Waters said. “Even though you might want to work 16, 18 hours a day, if you do that, you can’t make it. We have to watch each other’s back.”

“We can’t afford to have everyone burn out,” Reichert added.

How the span will emerge

Construction will be kicked into high gear by next year, with 20 cranes, 60 barges, and two floating concrete batch plants in the river, not to mention the giant Left Coast Lifter, one of the largest floating cranes in the world.

Crews will work in the middle of the river, as well as along both shores. Piles will be driven into the river and the bridge foundations will be placed on top. Columns will then begin to rise from the foundations. Bridge decks will then be placed on the columns.

If all goes according to plan, by late next year residents might even be able to see some parts of the bridge’s towers, which will reach more than 400 feet in height.

To speed construction, some components, such as structural steel, will be assembled at several staging areas along the river.

“If it was a normal bridge you would build everything on site,” Reichert said. “A couple of miles away from here we can pre-fab sections of it. That type of thing helps you cut the time.”

Meanwhile, Hudson Harbor, a townhouse complex in Tarrytown, will be used as a place to load workers onto boats that will take them to the barges, TZC leaders said.

A journey to the river bottom

Because of the unique composition of the ground beneath the Hudson River, the biggest challenge for TZC is designing the bridge’s foundations. Ideally, TZC would lodge all of the pilings deep into bedrock, but only half the bridge, mostly near the Westchester shore, sits on solid rock. Bedrock is about 750 feet down near Rockland and virtually unreachable for bridge builders.

As a result, TZC will rely on friction created by the piles and the surrounding sand and soil to hold up the new spans. Those piles will have to be about 350 feet in length – each longer than a football field – in order produce sufficient friction, Reichert said.

“When you have 300 feet of material above it, even though it may not be all that cohesive or dense, it’s still a lot of pressure on it,” Reichert said.

Starting next month, TZC will install test piles along the bridge’s footprint to determine the length of the piles needed during construction. Recently completed soil testing also provided valuable data about the composition of the soil below.

“So far we don’t see anything different than what we expected,” Waters said. “There’s minor differences but nothing that bothers us yet. The proof of that comes with the test pile program.”

 

http://m.lohud.com/localheadlines/article?a=2013306170090&f=1166

 

President of the Nyack Chamber of Commerce Blogs on the New TZ Bridge

Bridge Blog

By Scott Baird, Nyack Chamber of Commerce

In December of 2012, I was contacted by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office and asked to represent the Nyack Chamber of Commerce on a task force that was being assembled to study mass transit options on the new Tappan Zee Bridge.  How could I say no? As a construction and real estate professional, this was the opportunity of a lifetime.  A chance to see how historic infrastructure decisions are formulated and brought to life.  A  chance to see ‘how the sausage is made’ in local and state government.

The task force is a veritable ‘who’s who’ of local elected officials, non-profits dedicated to transit issues, development think tanks and business interests.  Task force members include Patterns for Progress; the Business Council of Westchester; the Tri-State Transportation Campaign; Mayors from Nyack, South Nyack, White Plains, Elmsford and Tarrytown; Senator David Carlucci; Assembly members Ellen Jaffee and Amy Paulin; and Westchester, Putnam  and Rockland County Executives, as well as transportation professionals from the MTA, Thruway Authority and Port Authority.

The group meets once a month as a full body.  Subcommittees include one for finance, another for assembling data from previous studies, and a Rockland-specific subcommittee chaired by Nyack Mayor, Jen White.  Task force meetings are generally open to the public, and the materials we work with are made available to the press.

It’s a significant that the Nyack Chamber of Commerce has representation on this body.  Our involvement shows Governor Cuomo’s dedication to considering important issues from multiple viewpoints, including those of small business owners on Main Street.

Our task is broad and far-reaching:  to develop short-range, mid-range and long-range action plans for mass transit along the I-287 corridor and from Rockland County into New York City, and to provide funding recommendations for those action plans.  “Short-range” is defined as actions that can be completed in 5 years, to coincide with the opening of the new bridge.  “Mid-range” has a slightly longer implementation period ― 5 to 15 years ― and “long-range” is defined as 15 years or more.  Complete recommendations are to be presented to the Governor’s office by the end of 2013.

The decisions made over the next several years by this task force and other elected and appointed groups will have a major impact on Nyack, Rockland County and the mid-Hudson region for decades to come.  You don’t have to look far for related examples. The development patterns created by Metro North, the Long Island Railroad and New Jersey Transit amply demonstrate the power of mass transportation.  And as we know all too well in Rockland, a lack of mass transportation can have an equally powerful effect.

It’s my intent through this blog to help businesses and residents in Nyack and Rockland County understand the options under discussion and their potential impact, and to solicit your input in this process.  In my next blog entry, I’ll share data from several studies on existing mass transit usage ― very interesting stuff!

Scott Baird is President of the Nyack Chamber of Commerce and is a Commercial Realtor with Rand Commercial Services.  You can reach him at scott.baird@randcommercial.com and the Chamber at www.nyackchamber.org

Tappan Zee Bridge: Feds, state assure South Nyack of toll removal

Lohud June 15, 2013; author Khurram Saeed

Federal and state authorities have assured South Nyack officials in writing that temporary equipment that will be used to collect Tappan Zee Bridge tolls electronically in South Nyack will be removed when the new crossing is completed.

The Federal Highway Administration approved a change that updates the language in the $4 billion project’s final environmental review and its official record of decision confirming the toll facility will leave its interim home at Exit 10 on the Thruway in five years or so.

The state Thruway Authority on Thursday also made its position clear in a letter to South Nyack Mayor Bonnie Christian.

“Upon completion of the new bridge with its permanent toll facilities in Tarrytown, the temporary gantry with toll equipment will be removed from Interchange 10,” project director Peter Sanderson wrote.

South Nyack officials had been demanding the guarantees because they wish to commercially redevelop the Exit 10 interchange.

Project officials have said the toll gantry is expected to be erected next year and tested for six months before being used.

An environmental monitor was installed recently at Interchange 10 so the public can keep track of noise, dust and vibration levels.

Project officials also confirmed, as first reported in The Journal News last week, that Tappan Zee Constructors will install the monitors at Bradford Mews Apartments on Piermont Avenue and Ferris Lane, a residential street in Grand View. In Rockland, there are already monitors at Salisbury Point Cooperative in South Nyack; on River Road, south of Grand View Village Hall; and near the Thruway’s Interchange 12 in West Nyack.

Preparation for the start of full-blown construction of the new parallel spans is continuing. During the next two weeks, two large barge-mounted cranes that will be used to place permanent piles for the bridge will arrive in the area. Crews will assemble and moor each crane until the test pile work begins in the middle of next month. The cranes will be stationed on the north side of the bridge closer to the Rockland side of the Hudson River. Despite the imposing size, neither of these cranes are as large as the Left Coast Lifter, which is set to arrive at the end of this year.

Project officials said work also will begin next week on the Thruway Authority’s bulkhead area along River Road in South Nyack. Work includes clearing the site and construction of a larger bulkhead that will be used for equipment staging.

Tappan Zee Bridge Update: Two more monitors planned in Rockland

LoHud Jun 8, 2013 Written By Khurram Saeed

http://www.lohud.com/article/20130607/NEWS03/306070051/Tappan-Zee-Bridge–2-more-monitors-planned-in-Rockland?source=nletter-news

The New Tappan Zee Bridge

A South Nyack apartment complex and a residential street in Grand View may soon be home to devices to monitor noise, dust and vibrations during construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

Tappan Zee Constructors is working on finalizing details to install environmental monitors at Bradford Mews Apartments on Piermont Avenue and Ferris Lane, a project official told The Journal News on Friday afternoon.

South Nyack Mayor Bonnie Christian on said Friday morning that the monitors would be installed this weekend, but that’s not the case, the official said.

However, a monitor was recently installed at Interchange 10 of the Thruway in South Nyack, and another is set to go up next week on River Road, just south of Grand View Village Hall near Orangetown’s sewage pumping station.

That would bring to four the total number of monitors in Rockland, with two more on the horizon.

Devices were installed a few weeks ago at South Nyack’s Salisbury Point Cooperative, across from Bradford Mews, and near the Thruway’s Interchange 12 in West Nyack.

South Nyack has been working with the bridge’s design-builder to find suitable locations since TZC proposed putting up the shoebox-sized devices in front of Village Hall and Elizabeth Place Park, both in the village.

“We had them go around again and give a look,” Christian said. “They came up with these two alternatives (Bradford Mews and Ferris Lane). There may be other sites to come.”

Christian said discussions will continue with TZC about other appropriate locations so residents can keep an eye on potential quality of life disturbances during the five-year construction of the twin-span crossing.

Four environmental monitors in Tarrytown are already in place.

Data from all of the devices can be viewed at http://newnybridgegall- ery.com/noise/.

HUDSON RIVER TEST BORINGS FOR THE NEW NY BRIDGE COMPLETED

update

For Immediate Release: June 7, 2013

HUDSON RIVER TEST BORINGS FOR THE NEW NY BRIDGE COMPLETED

The New York State Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) have announced that test boring operations in the Hudson River have been completed. The borings in the river are part of the pre-construction geotechnical work that began in late March. Crews will, however, continue test borings on land in both Rockland and Westchester and continue installing bridge monitoring devices in the Hudson River as part of the pre-construction engineering.

Work continues on the temporary Westchester trestle. The trestle is a work platform that will support a crane for the construction of the new bridge. The 1,000-foot long platform reduces the amount of dredging required and allows crews to work from the water and not from the Westchester shoreline. Work on the Westchester trestle will include daytime pile driving to install the temporary foundation piles needed to support the platform. Pile driving will be limited to the hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Environmental monitors continue to be installed in Rockland County as the Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) finalize specific installation locations. The monitors continually record noise, vibration and air quality for the duration of the project. All readings can be viewed at www.NewNYbridge.com.

Westchester:
Surveying, utility exploration and test boring work continues for the New NY Bridge Project during the week of June 10 in Tarrytown. The work being performed in the shoulder area will require a temporary right lane closure on southbound I-87/I-287 between the existing Tappan Zee Bridge and the Route 9 Bridge on Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Rockland:
Mobilization work continues at Exit 10 where TZC will store materials for construction, trailers for work operations and equipment as well as use the staging area for employee parking. Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline will continue the week of June 10.

Surveying, utility exploration and test boring work continues for the New NY Bridge Project during the week of June 10 in South Nyack. The work being performed in the shoulder area will require a temporary right lane closure on southbound I-87/I-287 between Interchange 11 and S. Broadway Bridge on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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