2015 August

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 bridges 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.

Fast Tolls on the Horizon:

Drivers to Experience the Benefits of All-Electronic Toll Collection Starting in 2016

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.

Galvanizing Strength:

New Bridge’s Steel Rebar Treated with Protective Coating

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.

Beating the Heat:

Keeping Workers Safe by Delivering Fresh Drinking Water Across Project Site

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.

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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