Super Crane Clears the Panama Canal

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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.

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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

Construction Continues From US9 to TZ Bridge

new

For immediate release: December 6, 2013

INSTALLATION OF PERMANENT PILES CONTINUES,
TARRYTOWN RAMP FROM US9 SOUTH TO TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE CLOSES

Construction activities continue on the foundations for the New NY Bridge with the ongoing installation of permanent piles.

The entrance ramp to the Tappan Zee Bridge (I-87 northbound/I-287 westbound) from South Broadway (Route 9) in Tarrytown is now closed to traffic for the duration of the New NY Bridge project. Signs are in place to direct motorists to the entrance ramp located nearby on White Plains Road (Route 119.)

As a result of the closure, motorists who wish to travel northbound/ westbound on the Thruway are directed to bear right immediately after the closed ramp, onto what is referred to as the “jughandle” for Route 119. Motorists will proceed approximately 0.2 miles east on Route 119, turning right onto the I-87 northbound/I-287 westbound entrance ramp.
Walkways along South Broadway will be maintained for pedestrian use.

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will utilize the area surrounding the ramp for storage and staging, which will in turn reduce the amount of construction traffic on local roadways. Complete closure is required for the construction of the New NY Bridge in order to ensure safety for motorists and project workers.

Excavation and preparation work for installation of permanent sound barriers continues along I-87 northbound /I-287 westbound in the area south of exit 10 in Rockland County. From Monday, Dec. 9 to Thursday, Dec. 12, one northbound right-hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 near exit 10 in Nyack will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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 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

 

###

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

Inaugural Newsletter of the New NY Bridge

 

MonthlyNewsletter_Nov_2013 (3) Page 001

 

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

The newsletter, produced in partnership with Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC), is one of many outreach tools employed to keep residents of Rockland and Westchester counties and the entire region informed about the New NY Bridge Project — the largest transportation infrastructure project in North America. Please enjoy the inaugural issue of the New NY Bridge Newsletter.

 

Read the complete Newsletter document here: MonthlyNewsletter_Nov_2013 (3)

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

 

As New Bridge Construction Begins, Boaters Must Practice Defensive Driving

New City Patch , Posted by  (Editor) , 

New City Patch Article Here

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With permanent piles for the New Tappan Zee Bridge now going in, navigating the Hudson is getting increasingly more challenging.

There’s a very necessary and informative forum on Hudson River Boating Safety Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Tarrytown Village Hall at One Depot Plaza.

Bridge officials in their latest weekly press release advised mariners to exercise extreme caution where the new piles are going in – “in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge.”

“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 recently issued revised safety information, establishing a “Regulated Navigation Area” from 300 yards north of the bridge to 200 yards south:

“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.”

More boating safety information can be found on theNewNYBridge website here, including exact lighting regulations and approved mooring locations.

And for a previous Patch article on the difficulties of navigating the waters at night, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

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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

Parking TZ Construction workers a challenge in Tarrytown

October 12, 2013 Theresa Juva-Brown

The consortium building the new Tappan Zee Bridge is learrning that finding parking for its workers can feel just as complicated as dredging the bottom of the Hudson River.

Tappan Zee Constructors is already renting an office and 135 parking spaces on the property of Hudson Harbor, a condominium complex in Tarrytown. To accommodate the growing number of construction workers, TZC wants to add up to 165 parking spaces there.

But doing so would violate Tarrytown’s zoning code, which calls for that vacant area to eventually be used for condominiums, village officials say.

The rule also requires that Hudson Harbor’s parking lots be used by people who live or work there.

The new parking area would be used by bridge workers who would take boats from a nearby pier to construction sites on the river.

“What’s embedded in the zoning code is the municipal desire not to have parking lots all over the place — that’s why (Hudson Harbor) is not zoned for parking and it’s slated for development,” Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell said. “Having a parking lot for construction work on the Tappan Zee Bridge was not envisioned for this.”

Fixell noted that there were other parking areas TZC could consider in or near the village, but those options may not be as convenient and could involve paying for permits.

TZC declined to comment on the parking proposal. State officials and a Hudson Harbor spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

Village Administrator Mike Blau said trustees would have to approve a zoning code amendment to allow the new lot. He added that several Hudson Harbor residents have expressed to him their concern about the idea.

Trustees are expected to discuss TZC’s proposal next week and make a decision in the coming weeks, Blau said.

 

Read complete article here: http://www.lohud.com/article/20131012/NEWS/310120108

New Tappan Zee Bridge spurs interest in nearby commercial parcels; Vacant commercial sites now sold, leased

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LoHud October 15, 2013 Written by Theresa Juva-Brown

The Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project is giving new life to vacant commercial properties that have languished since the Great Recession.

The site of the former Lovett power plant in Stony Point, for instance, sat unused for years before bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors recently signed a lease with NRG Energy to assemble bridge pieces there. As part of the deal, Stony Point could collect up to $500,000 in permit fees over the next five years.

It’s been a similar situation in West Nyack, where the former Journal News printing plant at 160 N. Route 303 hasn’t had a tenant in three years, said Timothy Hauser of the Hauser Bros., the real estate investment company that owns the site.

That will change this spring, when state police and the New York State Thruway Authority temporarily move from Tarrytown to the 42,000-square foot warehouse that is currently being renovated.

Tappan Zee Constructors is relocating those operations because it plans to tear down the current barracks/Thruway offices on North Broadway and use the area for bridge construction equipment.

“We’re giving them a piece of property at a fair market value rate, and they are taking the expenses off my lap that I have to struggle to pay,” Hauser said of the parcel on Route 303 near Thruway Exit 12. Just before the deal was reached in April, the asking price for the warehouse was $6.25 per square foot, according to the website of Rand Commercial Services, which was involved with the agreement.

Hauser said the five-year lease could be extended, but for now the site’s future remains wide open.

“It’s one of the best locations in the entire county for any type of business — a car dealer, hotel. It’s a discussion already,” he said.

The recent deals, even if they are for just five years, help the local real estate industry but also the region’s optimism about the overall economy, said Paul Adler, vice president of Rand Commercial.

“People are understanding that this is the beginning of the growth,” he said. “What we’re seeing is just enough to nudge us out of this recession.”

“There is income, and there is enough time to plan what to do after five years now that the landlord has cash flow,” he added. “These 5-year injections of confidence in the market are going to spur smart growth.”

The new bridge, especially the thousands of workers the project will bring, helped convince Howard Josephs to purchase a commercial parcel in Nyack last month.

Josephs, a partner with Josephs Group, bought slightly less than an acre near Route 59 and Waldron Avenue.

A gas station and fast food joint once operated there, but the site has been dormant for years, he said.

After the land is remediated this winter, he plans to build a 5,000-square foot restaurant and retail center.

He declined to disclose how much he paid for the site.

“It’s a very busy corner, and we see it as the gateway to Nyack,” he told The Journal News. “I think the bridge (project) will definitely bring a lot of people for a number of years.”

The project is also giving a lift to property owners in Westchester.

Tappan Zee Constructors moved into its main office on White Plains Road in Tarrytown this spring and is leasing a satellite office on the grounds of Hudson Harbor, a residential complex on the Tarrytown waterfront.

Farrokh Hormozi, an economics professor at Pace University in Pleasantville, said property owners who are leasing instead of selling is a sign that they expect their assets to gain significant value after the new bridge is completed. He said more businesses and people will want to live and work near the future Tappan Zee. “It’s all facilitated by a more comfortable ride across the bridge,” he said.

Read complete article here:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201310142341/NEWS/310140063

 

TZ Bridge Pre-Construction Activities Continue

The new NY bridge

For immediate release: October 11, 2013

NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT
PRE-CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES CONTINUE

 

Second shift operations will continue on the river from 3:30 p.m. to 12 midnight on weekdays in preparation for permanent construction activities.

This work is primarily to support activities for the daytime pile driving operations and is limited by the project’s noise level restrictions. 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.

Construction of the Rockland County trestle will continue. This work will include daytime pile driving to install the temporary foundation piles needed to support the platform. 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.

From Tuesday, October 15 to Friday, October 18, one southbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 between exit 9 and exit 11 will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for shoulder work.

Additionally, utility work will continue on River Road in South Nyack. This work will be performed from 6:30 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. for the next three weeks and has been coordinated with and approved by the Village of South Nyack. The work will reduce the roadway to one lane during daytime hours and flaggers will be onsite to safely direct motorists on River Road. During non-work hours, the road will have temporary coverings in place that may create uneven surfaces. Motorists and bicyclists should slow down and use extreme caution in the area.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will be installing piles in the vicinity of the side channels. 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, NewNYBridge.com, under the boating safety icon.

E-ZPass tags are now available for purchase at the New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers in Tarrytown and Nyack.

The pre-packaged E-ZPass tags can be purchased for $25 and are ready for immediate use. E-ZPass users avoid delays when traveling through toll plazas, receive a discount on every Thruway toll they pay, and enjoy the convenience of using E-ZPass in fifteen states: Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia.

E-ZPass tags have a $25 value and are active upon purchase. The first $15 is immediately available for toll usage, and the remaining $10 becomes available once the tag is registered online or by phone. E-ZPass provides a five percent savings on Thruway tolls and offers toll discounts on many other roadways.

The Community Outreach Centers for the new bridge project were established last year as a gathering place and source of information for the community regarding the New NY Bridge. They are located at:

• 303 South Broadway in Tarrytown, and
• 142 Main Street in Nyack.

The centers are open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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

TZC CREWS SAVES UNMOORED BOATS

update

For immediate release: October 4, 2013

TZC CREWS SAVES UNMOORED BOATS

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) crews helped rescue two boats that became unmoored near the Tappan Zee Bridge this past week.

On September 25, crews spotted a sail boat approaching the dredging area surrounding the Tappan Zee Bridge. After attempting communications and determining that no one was onboard, TZC’s safety team secured the boat and towed it to a tugboat. TZC then contacted the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office and the Coast Guard to track down the owner of the vessel. Later in the week, another unmoored vessel was secured by TZC and safely returned to its owners.

TZC crews will begin second shift operations on the river from 3:30 p.m. to 12 midnight on weekdays in preparation for permanent construction activities. This work is primarily support activities for the daytime pile driving operations and is limited by the project’s noise level restrictions. 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.

Construction of the Rockland County trestle will continue. This work will include daytime pile driving to install the temporary foundation piles needed to support the platform. 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.
From Monday, October 7 to Wednesday, October 9, one southbound right hand lane and shoulder on I-87/I-287 between exit 12 and the Tappan Zee Bridge will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for shoulder work.

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.

Mariners should be aware that TZC will be installing piles in the vicinity of the side channels. Both temporary and permanent pile are illuminated at night. Boaters should use extreme caution and only use the main channel for transiting 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

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

Original Tappan Zee Bridge parts will be salvaged for other projects

Written by: Khurram Saeed; Twitter: @ksaeed1

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Though the Tappan Zee Bridge is destined for demolition in a few years, some of its  parts and equipment may find new life elsewhere.

The state Thruway Authority intends to save elements of the bridge when it’s torn down in 2017 to make way for its $3.9 billion replacement. The authority has provided a  list of  materials to be saved in its contract with Tappan Zee Constructors, the team designing and building the new crossing.

The list includes  150 concrete deck panel units from the bridge’s causeway; 15,000 feet of steel barrier installed on them; the movable barrier and the machines that shift it; the bridge’s necklace lighting; light stanchions; fiber-optic cables and other equipment.

“Anything that can be salvaged by others will be salvaged,” said Ted Nadratowski, the Thruway’s interim director of maintenance and operations.

The elements will be used for other Thruway projects. Nadratowski said the precast deck panels, for example, could be shortened and used as small culverts on the Thruway.

Recent rehabilitation work includes $385 million to replace much of the road deck on the Tappan Zee since 2007. The project is largely complete and is expected to wrap up by the end of this month, Nadratowski said.

Reusing some of the old bridge was a good idea, said Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, D-Mount Pleasant.

“The old adage of reduce, reuse and recycle applies here,” he said.

Abinanti said he was “disappointed” that Thruway officials didn’t put more emphasis on finding another use for the bridge. He was among those who pitched the idea of using the old bridge as a park. But that wouldn’t be possible since the new southern span will meet land where the current bridge sits.

Still, he suggested part of the bridge could have been reused or the landing redesigned to incorporate fishing piers or some amenity for the public.

“They never did a serious study of how can you use the existing structure in some way, shape or form,” Abinanti said. “I like the idea of reusing it any way you can.”

http://www.lohud.com/article/20130919/NEWS02/309170068

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

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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 AND TEST PILE PROGRAM IMPACT PILE DRIVING CONTINUE

For immediate release: August 9, 2013

update

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue 24-hour-a day dredging operations 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 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.

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 properly disposed of at offsite locations.

Impact pile driving will continue this week as part of the ongoing test pile program and will continue through October 31 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.

Ongoing operations:
· Test pile program
· Geotechnical land borings
· 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
· Rockland and Westchester environmental monitor installations
· Mobilization at the exit 10 staging area
· Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline

Westchester:
Ongoing geotechnical boring activities will continue to support the developing design for the New NY Bridge Project.

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 between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. River Road will be limited at times to one lane with flag persons in place to control traffic safely.

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.

ROCKLAND BULKHEAD CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN–TEST PILE PROGRAM CONTINUES

update

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; JULY 19, 2013

Construction of the Rockland Bulkhead will begin next week as crews enlarge the work platform in the New York State Thruway Authority’s Rockland maintenance area located on River Road in South Nyack.

The bulkhead will be part of the Thruway’s permanent dock and serve as the access point for Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC’s (TZC) Rockland trestle.  The trestle is the support platform that will allow TZC to build the foundations for the new bridge near the Rockland shoreline without dredging in that area.  TZC will utilize the bulkhead for support of construction throughout the entire project.

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.

Test pile driving operations will be conducted over the next three months at proposed locations for pile foundations.  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 directions in 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 began at exit 10 in Rockland County and continue to move west into Westchester County and then back to Rockland for one final boring location.

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
– Extension of Thruway’s Rockland maintenance dock

Westchester:
Night time boring operations to investigate subsurface soil conditions will be conducted in the southbound shoulder of I-87/I-287and will require a temporary right lane closure between the existing bridge and exit 9 on Tuesday, July 23, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.  Northbound lane closures will be required from exit 9 to the existing bridge on Wednesday, July 24, and from exit 9 to exit 11 in Rockland County on Thursday, July 25, and Friday, July 26. 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 on Monday, July 22, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

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.

Tappan Zee Bridge: Former power plant site may be used as staging area – Builder could lease 30 acres in Tomkins Cove

Lohud July 9, 2013

Written by: Khurrum Saeed

TOMKINS COVE — The former Lovett power plant will likely serve as a staging area to build parts of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

Tappan Zee Constructors, the team designing and building the $4 billion replacement crossing, is in final discussions with NRG Energy to lease the long-vacant 30-acre parcel in Tomkins Cove, team spokeswoman Carla Julian said Monday.

Also, Stony Point Supervisor Geoff Finn will meet at noon Friday with Tappan Zee Constructors officials to discuss plans for the riverfront property. The meeting is purely informational since NRG owns the land and is negotiating the deal.

“I’m excited because there’ll be some activity there,” Finn said of the site, which is off of Elm Avenue. “It would certainly be good for our tax base.”

Last week, Tappan Zee Constructors withdrew a proposal to lease a 10-acre property in the Village of Haverstraw, said real-estate agent Jim Damiani, who has been working with the consortium for six months regarding use of the former site of the Empire State Chair Factory. He said the builders provided a staging area plan to the village early last month.

“I got a message from them that they were withdrawing from any further discussion,” said Damiani, who works for Rand Commercial Services in New City. “I guess they’re not interested.”

The coal-fueled Lovett plant was torn down in 2008, when the previous owner opted not to upgrade to meet state environmental regulations.

The property has an assessed value of $875,000 with a $5.5 million market value, Stony Point Assessor Bill Beckmann said. NRG pays about $315,000 in annual property taxes to the town and the North Rockland Central School District.

How much more the town stands to receive by Tappan Zee Constructors’ presence remains to be seen, and it depends on what structures are installed.

“If they add value to the real property, they’ll be taxed accordingly,” said Beckmann, who will join Finn at Friday’s meeting.

Ninety percent of the materials that will be used to build the span will arrive by barge.

Some of that will be accomplished by building some of the larger components at an off-site staging area and floating them by barge to the work site.

Dredging is scheduled for next month and work on the main span is expected to begin in October.

A spokesman for NRG did not respond to phone messages Monday seeking comment.

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.

Residents will vote on Tappan Zee Bridge noise barriers

LoHud June 27, 2013 Written By Khurrum Saeed

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306270071

TZC

About 400 Rockland and Westchester residents have until July 11 to decide whether they want noise barriers on and near the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

Four areas are under consideration for the noise walls, which will range from 10 to 18 feet in height depending on their location, a project official said.

Different neighborhoods are voting on their noise barriers in their area. The vote is legally binding under federal law.

Residents have also been asked to choose a look for the barriers that will help guide the final design.

If approved, the $2 million noise walls would be part of the new $4 billion project to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge and would be added during its five-year construction phase.

Last year, a group of South Nyack residents successfully demanded to be included in the vote since their property — Salisbury Point Cooperative — sits along the Thruway and will be even closer to the new bridge than the existing span.

“They really got smart because of the ruckus that we raised,” Salisbury Point resident John Brown said of the state Thruway Authority.

Brown planned to cast his vote Thursday in favor of adding the extra layer of noise protection and sensed most people in his complex were with him.

Salisbury Point board president Catherine McCue said she was grateful the state reconsidered and involved them in the process, along with dozens of homeowners in South Nyack and Upper Grandview. In all, 268 people in Rockland were sent ballots and 106 in Westchester.

The barriers and their appearance were discussed at a Thursday night meeting at the Best Western hotel in Nyack.

Two meetings held in Westchester earlier this week brought out about 50 residents, some from The Quay and Tappan Landing Road complexes.

In order for the barriers to move ahead, at least 50 percent of the ballot holders must vote, and a simple majority must vote in favor of building them.

Neighboring community takes sound-proofing offer; 2 more complexes consider funds to mitigate noise

Lohud;  June 25, 2013  Written by Theresa Juva-Brown

Neighbors want more than noise reducing windows

http://www.lohud.com/videonetwork/2507049237001/TZB-neighbors-offered-noise-protections

Nearly a week after Tappan Zee Constructors offered to spend $4.2 million on noise-reducing windows and doors for some bridge neighbors, only one community has officially accepted the proposal.

Bradford Mews has agreed to Tappan Zee Constructor’s offer to shell out $1 million for special doors and windows in the South Nyack rental community, project officials confirmed.

Meanwhile, Salisbury Point in South Nyack and The Quay in Tarrytown continue to mull the offer; leaders from both groups met separately with the project team on Tuesday. The money being offered is part of a $20 million fund split between the state and Tappan Zee Constructors to pay for community improvements during construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

When Tappan Zee Constructors announced the $4.2 million deal last week, leaders of Salisbury Point and The Quay slammed it for not addressing all their concerns. At The Quay, an 89-unit condominium complex, residents had asked for a pool enclosure and new fencing, in addition to the window and doors.

“It looks like it’s not going to happen and that’s very frustrating and depressing for us all,” said Alice Goldberg, president of the board.

Tuesday’s meeting with project officials focused on the types of windows Tappan Zee Constructors would pay for, she said. Goldberg said she is confident residents will reach an agreement with the builders.

The Quay’s proposal calls for windows with varying degrees of sound proofing based on the condo’s distance from the bridge construction.

Tappan Zee Constructors also denied Salisbury Point’s requests for security fencing and a pool cover. Thruway Authority spokesman Daniel Weiller criticized residents for expecting a pool dome.

“Some of the groups are asking for the project to pay for extras that have nothing to do with noise, such as a swimming pool dome, and it would be irresponsible to use the budget for the new bridge to pay for things like that,” he said in an email. “The goal is to find a fair and reasonable solution to help them install quality noise-reducing windows and doors, not to write a blank check.”

Goldberg disputed Weiller’s claim, arguing that “we have been cautious and very conservative” with the requests, adding that a cover for the pool would protect it from construction pollution.

The Quay’s residents, along with other Tarrytown and Rockland residents, are also considering designs for permanent noise barriers on the new span and around it. Officials have scheduled public meetings this week to explain options to Westchester and Rockland residents who received ballots in the mail.

Meetings will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at 303 S. Broadway in Tarrytown and 7 p.m. Thursday at the Best Western in Nyack.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20130625/NEWS/306250099?gcheck=1

 

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.

LARGE CRANES START TO ARRIVE ON THE HUDSON RIVER THIS WEEK

update

Two large barge-mounted cranes that will be used to place permanent piles for the substructure of the New NY Bridge Project will arrive throughout the next two weeks. Upon arrival, crews will start to assemble each crane and moor them until the test pile operations begin in mid-July. The cranes will be moored on the north side of the bridge closer to the Rockland County side of the Hudson River.


Neither of these cranes are the Left Coast Lifter, which is set to arrive late this year.

Work will also begin next week on the New York State Thruway Authority’s Rockland bulkhead area located on River Road in South Nyack. Work includes clearing of the site and construction of a larger bulkhead that will be used for staging of equipment.

Ongoing operations:
– Construction of the temporary Westchester work trestle which includes pile driving operations occurring weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
– Survey inspections on existing bridge
– Environmental monitoring activities
– 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. Work activities will be conducted between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Rockland:

Limited geotechnical analysis boring operations continue this week on Thruway property and will not require lane closures due to work being performed behind barriers. Crews will also inspect and clean the 72-foot storm sewer line that services the existing Thruway property. Work is scheduled between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

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.

Tappan Zee Bridge: Webcams to stream construction

bilde

LoHud  By Khurram Saeed  June 7, 2013

The public will soon be able to watch the new Tappan Zee Bridge rise before their wired eyes.

Tappan Zee Constructors has hired EarthCam, a webcam technology company, to stream the five-year construction of one of the largest bridge projects in the nation. The images will be delivered in high definition over the Internet using multiple cameras.

“Everyone is interested in this project and it will help people better understand what we’re doing,” Tappan Zee Constructors spokeswoman Carla Julian told The Journal News on Thursday.

Over the years, EarthCam, based in Hackensack, N.J., has documented major construction projects for governments nationwide, including the rebuilding of the World Trade Center.

Initial plans call for placing three cameras around the project site. Julian said the locations are still to be determined as the Tappan Zee Constructors works out access issues.

She expected ultimately there would be more cameras offering detailed views. She pegged the figure at fewer than 10.

The webcams are expected to go online in the coming months to document all aspects of the $3.9 billion project.

Tappan Zee Constructors and EarthCam are still in the early stages of negotiating costs since the level of service hasn’t been determined, Julian said.

People will be able to see real-time streaming video on the project’s website, www.newnybridge.com, and share their favorite images via social media, including Facebook and Twitter. EarthCam also will edit the images into a time-lapse movie.

“It’s going to capture everything,” Julian said. “It’s going to be really cool.”

There is already some construction activity taking place in the Hudson, but it will intensify in the coming months and years, starting with the installation of the first piles that will support the new parallel spans.

Some 100 construction barges will dot the river by next year and by 2016, after the first new span opens, people will get a chance to see the existing Tappan Zee Bridge demolished.

EarthCam said project teams will keep a close eye on activities since the cameras will have robotic capabilities allowing them to remotely pan the job site and zoom in for a detailed view.

“Our team is thrilled to be the construction camera provider for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project,” Lisa Kelly, EarthCam’s strategic sales manager, said in a statement. “The new state-of-the-art bridge will drive economic growth to the area and we’re excited to share views of the progress with the public.”

This isn’t the first major bridge project of which EarthCam has been a part. It documented the construction of the Lake Champlain Bridge in upstate New York a few years ago and is still chronicling the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project.

The company’s website, www.earthcam.com, also offers links to a network of live webcams around the U.S. and the world.

http://m.lohud.com/localheadlines/article?a=2013306060068&f=1166

 

New Tappan Zee work site bustles with activity

LoHud June 5, 2013 Written by Theresa Juva-Brown

From a giant crane hoisting steel beams to workers tightening bolts on an emerging platform in the river, the site of the new Tappan Zee Bridge was bustling with activity on Tuesday.

To promote the $3.9 billion bridge replacement, project officials took about a dozen members of the media on the river to see construction preparations. Leaders from Tappan Zee Constructors — the team designing and building the new bridge — and the Thruway Authority led the tour on a tugboat suitably named Tappan Zee II.

“This project is progressing and you’re going to see it ramp up over the next several months to the next year,” said Brian Conybeare, a special adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “More and more equipment arrives almost daily for this pre-construction work.”

The twin span is set to be completed by April 2018. Crews have just wrapped up test borings of the river’s soil and plan to start test pile-driving next month. Pile-driving tests are necessary to ensure that when permanent supports are installed, they are strong enough to hold the new span.

By the middle of next year, close to 100 work barges will fill the river, with about 30 of them being used to hold giant cranes, officials said.

There are about a dozen barges in the river now, with each dedicated to specific tasks. For example, one team is currently setting up vibration monitoring equipment on the existing bridge, while another is focused on building a 1,000-foot platform off the Tarrytown shore. When completed, the temporary trestle, which won’t be attached to the shore, will house a crane for construction.

“The new northern span will be right over our heads,” Conybeare shouted as the tugboat chugged parallel to the existing bridge on its way to the trestle location.

At the site, a 300-ton crane on a barge slowly lifted a hydraulic power unit that operates a vibratory hammer.

The hammer vibrates piles into the river bed, a technique that is less noisy than pounding them in, officials said.

In addition to the Westchester trestle, crews plan to build a similar one off the Rockland shore, though that one will stretch about 1,300 feet, Conybeare said.

37861007001_2434745098001_vs-51ae778ee4b0c77bd45a17cf-1464912386001

Click here to watch the progress on The New NY Bridge:

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306040075

 

 

Pre-Construction Activities Continue on the New NY Bridge Project

The new NY bridge

For Immediate Release: May 31, 2013

Pre-Construction Activities Continue on the New NY Bridge Project

No new pre-construction activities are slated for the week of June 3, 2013. Environmental monitors continue to be installed in Rockland County as the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) and Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC 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.

Test boring operations in the Hudson River continue as does work 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.

Westchester:
Surveying, utility exploration and test boring work continues for the New NY Bridge Project during the week of June 3, 2013. The work being performed in the shoulder area will require a temporary right lane closure on northbound I-87/I-287 between Exit 9 and the toll plaza on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a temporary right lane closure on southbound I-87/I-287 between the toll plaza and Exit 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.

Rockland:
Mobilization work continues at Exit 10 where Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC will store materials for construction, trailers for work operations and equipment as well as use the staging area for employee parking.

Marine support from the Rockland shoreline will continue the week of June 3, 2013.

 

No Work Scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend

 

update

For immediate release: May 24, 2013

No Work Scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend

In observance of Memorial Day Weekend, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC will not work on May 25, 26 or 27, 2013. The New York Thruway Authority and TZC, LLC would like to extend gratitude to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have sacrificed greatly to protect the freedom of this nation. When work resumes on Tuesday May 28, 2013, environmental monitors will continue to be installed in Rockland County. The first monitor readings from Rockland and Westchester are available online. The will monitors continually record noise, vibration and air quality for the duration of the project. All readings can be viewed at www.NewNYbridge.com.

Test Boring operations in the Hudson River will continue as will work 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. Tuesday through Friday.

Westchester:
Surveying work and soil sampling for the New NY Bridge Project will continue during the week of May 28. The work being performed in the shoulder area will require a temporary right lane closure on southbound I-87/I-287 between the toll plaza and Exit 9. The lane closure will be in place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.

Rockland:
Limited test-boring operations will continue on Thurway land under the existing bridge and just to the north at the proposed bridge locations. The work is scheduled to be conducted between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Surveying work and soil sampling performed in the shoulder area will require a lane closure in the right lane of southbound I-87/I-287 between the Rt. 9W Bridge and the current Tappan Zee Bridge structure. The lane closure will be in place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.

A New Week of Tappan Zee Bridge Repair Work Coming

Nyack-Piermont Patch  Posted by William Demarest (Editor), 

http://nyack.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/a-new-week-of-tappan-zee-bridge-repair-work-coming?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001&evar4=picks-2-post

Contruction delays on Tappan Zee Bridge

Work on the Tappan Zee Bridge will continue May 20 through May 24, according to the New York State Thruway Authority.

In case of inclement weather, the work may be postponed.

Monday, May 20 through Friday, May 24

During the daytime hours, the contractor will be working within designated maintenance lane closures and/or underneath the bridge.

Nighttime lane closures scheduled for Monday, May 20 through Friday, May 24

Monday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 21

Work will begin at 8 p.m. resulting in the closure of one left southbound lane and an additional left southbound lane at 10:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. on the Tappan ZeeBridge. In addition, this will result in the closure of two left northbound lanes at 9 p.m. and an additional left northbound lane at 10:30 p.m. until 6 a.m., also on theTappan Zee Bridge.  At least one lane southbound and one lane northbound will be opened to traffic from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

During Monday and Tuesday night operations, due to the southbound lane closures, the southbound entrance to the Thruway at Exit 10 (South Nyack) will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and southbound detour signs will be posted through Nyack for the entrance at Route 59 near Exit 11 (Nyack).

During Monday and Tuesday night operations, due to the northbound lane closures, the entrance ramp to the Thruway from Broadway in Tarrytown will also be closed from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. All traffic will be detoured to the entrance ramp from Route 119.

Wednesday, May 22

Work will begin at 8 p.m. resulting in the closure of two left southbound lanes and an additional left southbound lane at 10:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. on the Tappan ZeeBridge. In addition, this will result in the closure of one left northbound lane at 9 p.m. and an additional left northbound lane at 11 p.m. until 6 a.m., also on theTappan Zee Bridge.  At least one lane southbound and one lane northbound will be opened to traffic from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

During Wednesday night operations, due to the southbound lane closures, the southbound entrance to the Thruway at Exit 10 (South Nyack) will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and southbound detour signs will be posted through Nyack for the entrance at Route 59 near Exit 11 (Nyack).

During Wednesday night operations, due to the northbound lane closures, the entrance ramp to the Thruway from Broadway in Tarrytown will also be closed from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. All traffic will be detoured to the entrance ramp from Route 119.

Thursday, May 23

Work will begin at 9 p.m. resulting in the closure of two left southbound lanes and an additional left southbound lane at 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. on the Tappan ZeeBridge. In addition, this will result in the closure of one left northbound lane at 10 p.m. and an additional left northbound lane at 11:30 p.m. until 6 a.m., also on theTappan Zee Bridge.  At least one lane southbound and one lane northbound will be opened to traffic from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

During Thursday night operations, due to the southbound lane closures, the southbound entrance to the Thruway at Exit 10 (South Nyack) will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and southbound detour signs will be posted through Nyack for the entrance at Route 59 near Exit 11 (Nyack).

During Thursday night operations, due to the northbound lane closures, the entrance ramp to the Thruway from Broadway in Tarrytown will also be closed from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. All traffic will be detoured to the entrance ramp from Route 119.

Friday, May 24

No nighttime work scheduled.

Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26

No work scheduled.

The nighttime lane closures on Monday through Friday are required in order for the contractor to continue with miscellaneous work on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

For the safety of the public and construction workers, motorists are urged to proceed with caution and obey posted work-zone speed limits.

Traffic updates will be broadcast to motorists via Variable Message Signs along the highway and by Highway Advisory Radio 530 AM in the Tappan Zee Bridgecorridor, as well as 1610 AM in the Newburgh area. To see real-time webcam views of the bridge and approaches, go to http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/index.html?layer=cameras.

ROCKLAND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORS TO BE INSTALLED

update

For immediate release: May 17, 2013 


Installation of the Rockland environmental monitors is scheduled to begin the week of May 20. These construction monitoring devices, which monitor vibration, noise, and air quality, will be in place for the duration of the New NY Bridge project.

Work on the Westchester trestle continues this week and 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 am and 7 pm Monday through Friday. The trestle is a work platform that will support a crane for the construction of the easternmost 1,000 feet of the new bridge. The 1,000-foot long platform helps reduce the amount of dredging required and allows the crews to work from the water and not from the Westchester shoreline. Environmental monitoring is in place and can be viewed at www.newnybridge.com.

Surveying work and soil sampling for the New NY Bridge Project will continue during the week of May 20 as engineering crews conduct more design surveys at various locations in Rockland and Westchester in the vicinity of the project, including the Westchester access road location on New York State Thruway property in Tarrytown.

Preconstruction geotechnical investigations will continue as small barge-based drilling equipment will work at various locations throughout the project footprint in the Hudson River. The crews are conducting preconstruction geotechnical surveys to determine soil conditions where future piles will be installed for the new span. Noise levels from the equipment will be at a minimum. The river-based operations will run continuously 24 hours a day Monday through Friday and possibly Saturday.

Westchester:
Surveying work and soil sampling for the New NY Bridge Project will continue during the week of May 20.

Rockland:
Limited test-boring operations will continue on land under the existing bridge and just to the north at the proposed bridge locations. These operations are being conducted on New York State Thruway property and will not affect traffic in any way. The work is scheduled to be conducted between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Soil sampling will be conducted in the area of New York State Thruway during daytime hours; this operation will not cause lane closures and should not affect traffic.

Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC. has no lane closures scheduled on River Road in South Nyack.

STATE-OF-THE-ART ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEM ONLINE FOR TZ BRIDGE

For immediate release: May 10, 2013
Contact: Dan Weiller (518) 471-5300

Residents kept informed by noise, vibration and air quality monitors
as first pile driving begins on a temporary work platform

As work begins on a temporary Westchester work platform for the New NY Bridge, residents will be kept informed by a first-of-its kind environmental monitoring system with results publicly posted on the internet.

“We are empowering people with information and keeping them up to date on what’s happening with this vital project,” said Thruway Authority Executive Director Thomas Madison. “We are taking unprecedented measures to mitigate noise, vibration and air quality issues and the monitoring system that is now on our website is a major part of that effort.”

As soon as Friday, May 10, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will begin daytime pile driving work to install the temporary foundation needed to support a trestle in the Hudson River on Thruway Authority property just north of the current bridge in Tarrytown.   The trestle is a work platform that will support a crane for the construction of the easternmost 1000 feet of the new bridge.  The 1000-foot long platform, which will be dismantled when the bridge is complete, helps reduce the amount of dredging required in the Hudson and allows the crews to work from the water and not from the Westchester shoreline.

TZC has installed highly sophisticated monitoring devices at locations near the project site in Westchester. These devices will record the level of sound, vibration and air quality and the data will be available to the public online at www.newnybridge.com as part of the New York State Thruway Authority’s commitment to openness and transparency.

Environmental requirements limit pile driving and other loud construction activities to a maximum of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. There will be no pile driving done on the weekends.

Because the soil under the river is so soft, the pilings will be installed using the vibration technique for the most part.  Vibratory pile driving is much quieter than impact pile driving and will be less intrusive for nearby residents.  Short duration impact pile driving will be used to set the piles into bedrock.  TZC will also use sound mitigating shrouds and other techniques to reduce the noise levels involved.

The EPCs are intended to monitor, minimize and mitigate potential adverse effects related to construction noise, vibration and air quality associated with the project.  In addition to the monitoring systems and specialized pile driving techniques, the Thruway Authority is requiring many other mitigation measures including state-of-the-art controls to limit dust and emissions and receiving deliveries of equipment and supplies mostly by barge, rather than truck.

Construction of the temporary Westchester trestle is expected to last several months.  Construction of a similar work platform on Thruway property near the Rockland County shoreline is expected to begin in July.

For a direct link to the data from the monitors go to: http://newnybridgegallery.com/noise/

###

WESTCHESTER TEMPORARY TRESTLE WORK CONTINUES

For immediate release: May 10, 2013
Contact: Dan Weiller (518)471-5300

WESTCHESTER TEMPORARY TRESTLE WORK CONTINUES

During the week of May 13, work is expected to continue on the Westchester trestle, which is the first of the temporary work platforms 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 the hours of 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday. The trestle is a work platform that will support a crane for the construction of the easternmost 1000 feet of the new bridge. The 1000-foot long platform helps reduce the amount of dredging required and allows the crews to work from the water and not from the Westchester shoreline. Noise, vibration and air quality monitors are in place in Westchester and data can be viewed at www.newnybridge.com.

Arborists will be evaluating trees near the project, recording the types, size and health of the trees. This information will help with TZC’s project planning and conservation efforts.

Surveying work and soil sampling for the New NY Bridge Project will continue during the week of May 13 as engineering crews conduct more design surveys at various locations in Rockland, and Westchester in the vicinity of the project, including the Westchester access road location on New York State Thruway property in Tarrytown.

Preconstruction geotechnical investigations will continue as small barge-based drilling equipment will work at various locations throughout the project footprint in the Hudson River. The crews are conducting preconstruction geotechnical surveys to determine soil conditions where future piles will be installed for the new span. Noise levels from the equipment will be at a minimum. The river-based operations will run continuously 24 hours a day Monday through Friday and possibly Saturday.

Westchester:
Limited test-boring operations will continue on land under the existing bridge and just to the north at the proposed bridge locations. These operations are being conducted on Thruway property and will not affect traffic in any way. The work is scheduled to be conducted between 7 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Rockland:
At times, traffic on River Road near the South Nyack-Grand View border will be restricted to one lane during weekday daytime hours for utility investigations. Signs and flaggers will be in place to help keep traffic flowing safely.

Limited test-boring operations may start on land under the existing bridge and just to the north at the proposed bridge locations. These operations are being conducted on Thruway property and will not affect traffic in any way. The work is scheduled to be conducted between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Soil sampling will be conducted in the westbound shoulder area of NY State Thruway during daytime hours; this operation will not cause lane closures and should not affect traffic

Tappan Zee Bridge project: Sound barrier plans trouble neighbors

Lohud May 9, 2013  Written by   Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed

The New Tappan Zee Bridge

Tarrytown residents worry they will be bothered by work trucks.

Residents are finally getting details on how their neighborhoods will be protected during construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge, but not everyone is convinced those measures will be enough.

In the tiny Tarrytown neighborhood of Irving, which sits next to the current bridge’s toll plaza, homeowners have asked the state for permanent sound barriers and assurances that long lines of trucks won’t rumble through their neighborhood. At a meeting with Tappan Zee Constructors and the state last week, homeowners learned a temporary wooden wall — not a concrete barrier — will be put up near Hudson Place, said Tori Weisel, president of the Irving Neighborhood Preservation Association. Several homes on Hudson Place sit next to a Thruway Authority maintenance road that will be used during the project.

Officials also said the Thruway’s dirt road will be covered with gravel. Residents are worried that won’t absorb truck vibrations as well as a hard surface, Weisel said.

It’s also still unclear how many trucks will use Van Wart Avenue to access Thruway property.

“It’s less about the construction and more about these trucks going by,” she said.

Residents were satisfied, however, to hear that the project team will conduct preconstruction surveys of properties on request. The surveys will document property conditions in case there is a later claim of damage. Homeowners on Tappan Landing Road in Tarrytown are also being offered the surveys.

In South Nyack, concerns remain about the location of devices that will track noise, dust and vibration levels.

Tappan Zee Constructors has proposed installing four devices in Rockland. Two would be in South Nyack at Salisbury Point Co-Operative and either at Elizabeth Park or South Nyack Village Hall but more may be needed, said South Nyack Mayor Bonnie Christian. The builder has proposed putting a monitor in Grand View and at Interchage 12 in West Nyack but will explore additional locations, state officials said.

The village also wants a written commitment that electronic tolling equipment set to go up on the Thruway in South Nyack will be removed after the new bridge is completed in 2018. Christian wants it added to the Thruway’s agreement with Tappan Zee Constructors.

Project officials said that the final environmental study has been changed to reflect the temporary toll location and that the permanent toll plaza will return to Tarrytown. The Federal Highway Administration recently approved the change, they said Wednesday.

Tappan Zee builders eye private, public parcels as staging areas

LoHud May 8, 2013

Written by Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed

Tappan Zee Constructors is eyeing several riverfront locations for construction staging areas, including land owned by Haverstraw where parts of the new bridge could assembled and floated to work sites, officials said.

The bridge project team has shown interest in the 10-acre, former site of the Empire State Chair Factory, but no “hard offers” have been made, Haverstraw village attorney Jay Hood Jr. said.

“We’d love to see the site go to use because it’s sitting there vacant,” he said. “The village is very interested in that because it would bring in very significant revenue.”

About 20 trucks using village streets would deliver bridge parts to the site likely every few weeks. After the parts were put together, they would be shipped downriver, Hood said.

Paul Adler, vice president of Rand Commercial Services, said TZC is also interested in the former Lovett plant property in Tomkins Cove. He said the riverfront property owned by NRG Energy also could be a good staging area for the project, but it remains unclear what NRG wants to do with it.

An NRG Energy spokesman told The Journal News in April the company was considering building a new, gas-fired generating station on the site, which has been vacant since the coal-fired generating station was demolished in 2008. A company spokesman did not return a call seeking comment on Tuesday.

On the other side of the river, project officials are looking for areas where they can load crews onto boats to take them to work sites. Tarrytown officials said TZC had proposed using a public section of RiverWalk Park in Tarrytown, but the plan would have required approval from state legislators and Scenic Hudson, which has rights to the walk.

TZC spokeswoman Carla Julian said that “at this point TZC has no plans to pursue the use of public parkland for staging operations.”

She said she could not discuss possible staging locations until agreements are finalized.

Sleepy Hollow administrator Anthony Giaccio said the River’s Edge property is being considered as place for staging workers. National Resources is currently developing the site as a condominium complex. It also owns Hudson Harbor, the neighboring riverfront condo complex in Tarrytown.

The company did not return requests seeking comment.

Long-term agreements for staging areas won’t be the first deals TZC makes with local property owners. Project crews are already using Petersen’s Boat Yard & Marina in Upper Nyack and the Tarrytown Boat and Yacht Club Marina, officials said.

Thousands of jobs, $2 billion in income forecast for region

LoHud May 7, 2013

Written by, Khurram Saeed and Theresa Juva-Brown

New Bridge Design

Construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge will create the equivalent of 7,700 full-time jobs and pour $2 billion in disposable personal income into the region in the next five years, according to a new state-commissioned economic study.

“The timing is just incredible — you are talking about putting money into the pockets of working people who for the past three or four years, as a group, had major difficulties,” said Al Samuels, president of the Rockland Business Association. “This is a tremendous asset for folks to come out of the recession.”

Samuels added that when people have more money to spend, local governments also benefit.

“The sales-tax revenue that will accrue to the county and local municipalities is also a big plus,” he said. “It’s good on so many fronts.”

The project is expected to create 38,644 direct and indirect jobs as reported in “job-years,” a standard employment measure used by government on projects. A job-year is one job held for one year. So a trucck driver who works on this project for the next five years will have worked five job-years.

Each year, the project will generate roughly 2,600 construction jobs, 500 office and administrative positions, and some 700 sales and transportation-related jobs, according to the analysis conducted by the state Department of Labor and Empire State Development.

The study predicted employment spikes in management, food services and finance. Additionally, it found that a large construction project like the Tappan Zee “will spur secondary labor demand in retail trade, leisure and hospitality, and population-dependent industries such as health care.”

The study noted that additional analysis was required to figure out specific occupations, when they will be created, and how long they will be needed.

Farrokh Hormozi, an economics professor at Pace University in White Plains, predicted the actual economic impacts of the $3.9 billion five-year project will begin to be felt within a year or so.

“It’s going to boost the economy of the region,” Hormozi said. “This is the type of (project) that cannot be outsourced. … You have to hire local people. Wages and salaries will be made locally. And the impact will be felt locally.”

He said there would be a multiplier effect as workers spend their earnings in their communities. Also, local businesses may directly benefit by providing materials and services for the project or indirectly by seeing their sales increase due to increased demand. That will create income for others, he said.

“These workers, they have to eat, they have to relax and they have go shopping,” Hormozi said.

The job figures were based on $3.9 billion of spending.

“This project is one of the biggest opportunities for us to work collaboratively with local business and contractors on placing New Yorkers in new and exciting jobs,” state Labor Commissioner Peter Rivera said in a statement, adding the agency was prepared to match workers to openings and businesses.

The overwhelming majority of construction and trade jobs will go to local unions, which are covered by a project labor agreement.

But Tappan Zee Constructors, the joint venture that will design and build the new bridge, has already begun accepting résumés from job seekers on its website, http://www.tappanzeeconstructors.com/. The state Labor Department will continue to host career fairs and training to recruit workers.

“The information developed by the state Department of Labor and Empire State Development maps out in new, greater details the jobs that building this new bridge will create throughout the region,” said Thomas Madison, executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority, whose agency requested the study.

Construction of the replacement bridge will generate $3.2 billion in gross domestic product, the study said. The project will create $5.6 billion in total value of all goods produced and $3.7 billion in total personal income.

Excitement grows among Tappan Zee Bridge workers

Lohud.com  May 5, 2013

Written by Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed
http://www.lohud.com/article/20130505/NEWS/305050051/Excitement-grows-among-Tappan-Zee-Bridge-workers?source=nletter-news&nclick_check=1

Bobby Stackhouse feels the growing excitement for the new Tappan Zee Bridge as he fuels the boats of the first work crews on the river.

It’s just Stackhouse and about two dozen other union workers currently on site, but they will gradually get more company as thousands of laborers join the monumental effort to build the Tappan Zee replacement in the next five years.

“This is just the beginning,” said Stackhouse, who grew up in North Tarrytown and is lead steward on the project for Teamsters and Chauffeurs Local 456. “All the trades have been starving for the last five or six years — it’s been so bad. This job is like adrenaline being tapped into you. Once it gets going, it’s going to put many people back to work.”

The $3.9 billion project to replace the Tappan Zee is expected to employ roughly 2,600 full-time construction workers each year for the next five years, according to state economic models based on the cost of the project. Some of those union members may work during certain portions of the project, while others may be employed for the duration of the project.

So far, the small team that includes Stackhouse is making early preparations such as setting up staging areas on piers and testing the river soil. As the work intensifies in the coming months, Stackhouse, 59, will manage groups of truck drivers, transport equipment for repairs and keep track of supplies.

“People who are coming to this job know it’s steady work for a while, and they’ll be OK with their bills,” he said. “Everyone is very happy out here.”

From carpenters to crane operators, workers from dozens of construction specialties will all work under the same labor agreement to complete the 3-mile, twin spans by April 2018.

The deal encompasses some 50 locals and was negotiated last year between local and state union leaders and the New York State Thruway Authority. The several-hundred-page document establishes consistent policies regarding work hours, overtime rates and holidays. The common rules will save the state some $450 million, while also providing highly skilled workers for the complex job, officials say.

Longer work weeks

Many of the unions typically work 35 hours a week, with any work beyond that paid as overtime. But under the bridge’s labor agreement, the standard work week on the project will be 40 hours, either in four 10-hour days or five eight-hour days.

The wages, compensation packages and annual raises union workers receive will vary based on trade and experience. They are standard rates for their work that were negotiated between the unions and their trade councils, and are not specific to the bridge project. Workers will also receive annual raises based on trade and experience.

For example, a fully-trained ironworker specializing in the bridge’s steel structure will receive $110 an hour in total compensation. That includes $46 in wages and $64 for health and other benefits.

Workers will receive an extra $25 every day they show up an hour before the start of their shift, to give them more than enough time to catch a bus or boat to their job site. The bonus is designed to save TZC both time and money by making sure shifts start on time, officials said.

A cap on the overtime rate is another way the state expects to save money. While some unions are paid a double-time rate for overtime, all union workers on this job will be paid at time-and-a-half.

The agreement also standardizes paid holidays for workers. Some unions receive a dozen holidays on other jobs, but will get eight on this one. The deal details how to settle disputes and handle injuries and guarantees that there will be no strikes, slowdowns or picketing by labor or lockouts by management.

Even with the compromises, the deal was worth it because it will give a pool of some 40,000 union members a chance for steady work, union leaders said. That’s important for some trades that have suffered with unemployment rates as high as 40 percent in recent years.

“What’s guaranteed is that the men on the job are from (local) building trades,” said Pete Creegan, business agent for Iron Workers Ornamental Local 580, which has about 1,000 members in Westchester and Putnam counties. “It keeps the people living in the area paying their school taxes, putting their kids through school, and keeping those communities alive. Everyone benefits.”

Safety and security

While standardized rules in project labor agreements are typical, the one for the Tappan Zee project includes stiff, and in some cases unprecedented, requirements to minimize the risk of accidents, ensure top performance and keep the site secure.

“This job … requires every worker on the job, including management, including people designing the bridge in an office miles way, to be substance tested” for drug and alcohol use, Ross Pepe, president of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, said.

“It’s the only public works project in the state, that I know of, that has a requirement for substance testing,” Pepe said.

The drug and alcohol tests will be administered before employment, on a random basis, following accidents and for reasonable suspicion. Tarrytown-based Clarity Testing will carry out the program and perform daily urine tests on site.

Because project workers will know details about the bridge’s design and structure, workers have to undergo background checks to see whether they have criminal histories, immigration issues or financial problems that could make them vulnerable to bribes, officials said.

Those entering the work zone, whether they are top managers, daily workers or visitors, will have to go through homeland security clearance ahead of time.

These safety and security measures also lower costs for liability insurance and worker’s compensation and reduce the project’s overall price tag, they said.

A diverse workforce

Women and minority workers will get special consideration as part of the labor agreement. It requires that nearly 30 percent of the total construction hours — 22.6 percent for minorities and 6.9 percent for women — go to those groups.

Though there aren’t specific requirements for this project, union leaders said they are currently working with Helmets to Hard Hats to get military veterans on the job.

Union workers will carry out the majority of the actual construction, but the labor agreement allows up to 12 percent of the workforce to include nonunion workers.

Because public money is involved, even non-union construction workers have to be paid the prevailing wage, which is set by state law.

Most of the nonunion work on the project will be related to activities outside of construction, such as public relations and information technology.

Creegan, the ironworker union leader, said the Tappan Zee project is a special opportunity for workers to accomplish a great feat.

“They accept that challenge,” he said. “What’s a better feeling than making it happen at the end of the day?”

 

 

Tappan Zee Bridge spectator areas may be set up during work

LoHud ; By Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed

May 4, 2013

bridge

The massive effort to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge will create a grand spectacle on the river that likely will draw crowds of curious onlookers.

While Tarrytown has plenty of public waterfront where official viewing areas can be set up, that’s not the case across the river. Because there are no public spaces along the South Nyack shore, residents there are concerned that people will wander onto their properties to watch the $3.9 billion project take shape.

Trespassing is already a problem at South Nyack’s Salisbury Point, co-op Vice President Judy Hirschhorn said. The 120-unit riverfront complex has a front-row view of the Tappan Zee that often attracts outside visitors who make themselves at home on the complex’s sprawling lawn. Some cyclists are also notorious for urinating in Salisbury Point’s bushes, she said.

Residents worry that when heavy construction starts on the new Tappan Zee, spectators from all over will flock to their parking lots to get a glimpse of the action.

“We think it’s going to be a huge problem,” she said.

Nyack Mayor Jen Laird-White said some people might go to Nyack’s Memorial Park to get unimpeded — but distant — views of the construction.

One resident has proposed getting the project team to help overhaul Memorial Park, including moving the parking lot to Nyack Municipal Marina and building a pedestrian bridge over the inlet to connect the two areas, she said.

Meanwhile, leaders in Tarrytown are already looking at the village’s waterfront for possible viewing stations, including Losee and Pierson parks and the River Walk.

David Aukland, Tarrytown’s liaison to the project, said he envisions an area where people could not only watch construction but also learn about the project.

“We know the public is interested, and we’d rather them have clear information than have them guess,” he said.

The area, which he said would likely be created by the Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors, could include binoculars and signs that explain the work. The signs could also feature tags people scan with their smartphones to get information about local wildlife and history, he said.

That would be similar to the approach taken by another huge public works project, the reconstruction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which has a designated viewing area. The location offers information on the bridge’s history and great views of the self-anchored suspension portion of the new Bay Bridge East Span, said John Goodwin, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Brian Conybeare, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s special adviser on the Tappan Zee Bridge project, said the project team is discussing possible viewing sites with officials on both sides of the river.

“The goal is to find safe, accessible, public areas where people can view the project and take pictures once construction gets going, but no final determination on locations has been made,” he said in an email.

In addition to asking the project team for security fencing and cameras, Salisbury officials plan to post more trespassing signs and work with South Nyack-Grand View police to keep an eye out for unwelcome visitors.

Hirschhorn said measures need to be in place soon. Dredging of the river bottom is set to start in August and will likely attract attention, she said.

“We can’t have people walking all over our property,” she said.

www.NewNYBridge.com

For immediate release: May 3, 2013

The new NY bridge

WESTCHESTER TEMPORARY TRESTLE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULED TO BEGIN

Work is expected to begin during the week of May 6 on the Westchester trestle, which is the first of the temporary work trestles 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 7:00am to 7:00pm Monday through Friday and is expected begin on Friday May 10. The trestle is a work platform that will support a crane for the construction of the easternmost 1000 feet of the new bridge. The 1000-foot long platform helps reduce the amount of dredging required and allows the crews to work from the water and not from the Westchester shoreline.

In addition, two mooring buoys will be installed in the Hudson River on the Rockland side of the channel. These will be utilized to secure work barges and will be on site for the duration of the project.

Surveying work and soil sampling for the New NY Bridge Project will continue during the week of May 6 as engineering crews conduct more design surveys at various locations in Rockland and Westchester in the vicinity of the project, including the Westchester haul road location on New York State Thruway property in Tarrytown.

Preconstruction geotechnical investigations will continue as small barge-based drilling equipment will work at various locations throughout the project footprint in the Hudson River. The crews are conducting preconstruction geotechnical surveys to determine soil conditions where future piles will be installed for the new span. Noise levels from the equipment will be at a minimum. The river-based operations will run continuously 24 hours a day Monday through Friday and possibly Saturday.

Westchester:
Limited test-boring operations will continue on land under the existing bridge and just to the north at the proposed bridge locations. These operations are being conducted on Thruway property and will not affect traffic in any way. The work is scheduled to be conducted between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Rockland:
At times traffic on River Road near the South Nyack-Grand View border will be restricted to one lane during weekday daytime hours for utility investigations. Signs and flag persons will be in place to help keep traffic flowing safely.

Limited test-boring operations may start on land under the existing bridge and just to the north at the proposed bridge locations. These operations are being conducted on Thruway property and will not affect traffic in any way. The work is scheduled to be conducted between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday.

 

 

https://tappanzeebridge.randcommercial.com/922/

Nyack Grants Variances For Proposed Luxury Hotel

April 30, 2013 Lohud ; Author Alex Taylor

NYACK — A proposed $19 million boutique hotel on High Avenue came one step closer to reality after the Nyack Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday issued zoning variances for the project.

The developer, WY Management LLC, had sought the village’s approval to convert a vacant manufacturing facility at 400 High Ave. into a 132-room hotel with a steakhouse, radio station and conference center.

The variance was needed to add two floors to the existing structure: a two-story, 40,000-square-foot corrugated metal building next to Oak Hill Cemetery and Exit 11 of the New York State Thruway.

Because the area is zoned as a manufacturing district, a special permit was also needed, officials said.

“Our land use board has done its usual good work,” Nyack Mayor Jen Laird-White said Tuesday. “A great idea looks like it may be coming to fruition as a great project.”

Michael Yanko and Kerry Wellington, co-owners of WY Management, declined to comment Tuesday.

Once built, the hotel will be managed by Nylo Hotels, a boutique chain with hotels in Texas and Rhode Island, with another planned for New York.

Architectural renderings of 400 High Ave. show a stylish, loft-like design, including brick and glass siding and extensive outdoor landscaping. In addition to the 184-seat restaurant, the hotel will feature a bar and fitness center.

The site was formerly occupied by Stoffel Seals Corp., a plasticsand metal manufacturer that relocated to Congers about five years ago. WY Management bought the property for a reported $4.2 million.

A Best Western — the only other hotel in the village — is a block away on Polhemus Street.

The village Planning Board will meet Monday to vote on final site approval — the last step before construction.

“Once the Planning Board gives a final they can commence the building permit process for construction,” Nyack Village Attorney Walter Sevastian said. “They’re getting close.”

The hotel is expected to open late 2014, according to the developer’s website.

Earlier this year, the Rockland County Industrial Development Agency approved exemptions on the sales and mortgage recording tax to help the project. Developers are also negotiating a payment in lieu of taxes on the site.

WY Management recently opened an office at 79 Main St. in Nyack. The developer also is converting the former MetLifeFinancial Services Building in Broxville into multifamily apartments.

SOIL SAMPLING AND SUBSURFACE UTILITY INVESTIGATIONS BEGIN

The New NY Bridge; For Immediate Release: April 26, 2013

Contact: Dan Weiller: (518) 471-5300

Soil sampling and subsurface utility explorations operations will be conducted within the Thruway’s right of ways.  Soil sampling is a requirement of any project that includes excavation work, in order to verify the soil content for proper disposal or reuse. These operations will be conducted between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Surveying work for the New NY Bridge Project will continue during the week of April 29 as engineering crews conduct more design surveys at various locations in Rockland and Westchester in the vicinity of the project, including the Westchester Haul Road location on New York State Thruway property in Tarrytown.

Installation of construction monitoring devices is planned at several locations this week. These devices, which monitor vibration, noise, and air quality, will be in place for the duration of the project to record construction activity impacts.

Preconstruction surveys of properties located near the construction will continue next week. These operations will be conducted by engineering teams and will involve photographing the exterior and interior of structures. Tappan Zee Constructors is coordinating with the property owners for access.

Preconstruction geotechnical investigations will continue as small barge-based drilling equipment will work at various locations throughout the project footprint in the Hudson River. The crews are conducting preconstruction geotechnical surveys to determine soil conditions where future piles will be installed for the new span. Noise levels from the equipment will be at a minimum. The river-based operations will run continuously 24 hours a day Monday through Friday and possibly Saturday.

Westchester:
Soil Sampling will begin on Thruway Authority right-of-ways. Limited test-boring operations will continue on land under the existing bridge and just to the north at the proposed bridge locations. These operations are being conducted on Thruway property and will not affect traffic in any way. The work is scheduled to be conducted between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Rockland:
There are no land-based boring operations scheduled for the Rockland area for the week of April 29.

 

Environmental sensors to be installed near Tappan Zee construction

Lohud.com; By Khurram Saeed and Theresa Juva-Brown

April 30, 2013  TARRYTOWN — As the Tappan Zee Bridge project continues to ramp up, crews this week will begin installing environmental monitors that will allow residents to track noise, dust and vibration levels during the five years of construction.

The sophisticated shoebox-sizes devices with special sensors will be placed on top of poles at eight locations — four in Tarrytown and four in South Nyack. Losee Park in Tarrytown is set to get the first one by Wednesday.

Devices also will be installed at the Quay, an 89-unit condo complex in Tarrytown, south of the bridge in the neighborhood of Irving, and on New York State Thruway Authority property near South Broadway, state officials said.

Tappan Zee Constructors, the team engineering and constructing the $3.9 billion bridge, the Thruway Authority and community leaders are working to pin down specific locations for the devices in Rockland County, said Brian Conybeare, a special adviser on the project.

“The installation process is just getting under way, but once construction starts the public will be able to view the data from the monitoring stations 24 hours a day on our website, www.newnybridge.com,” he said.

Sensors devoted just to measuring construction vibrations have already been installed on the piers of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge, officials said.

Among the likely Rockland locations to receive a monitor is the 120-unit Salisbury Point Cooperative in South Nyack. TZC also wants to add a device at South Nyack Village Hall, but a village representative said officials had not been consulted about it.

Jerry Ilowite, head of South Nyack’s Tappan Zee Bridge task force, said TZC was supposed to present a monitoring and mitigation plan that would let the village weigh in on the best locations for the devices.

“I have no idea what they’re going to monitor or where or why they’re choosing the locations that they are,” Ilowite told The Journal News on Monday. “We have had no opportunity to contribute at all.”

After The Journal News inquired about the situation, a TZC representative called Ilowite on Monday afternoon to schedule a meeting.

The project team also plans to start taking photos and reports of property conditions before construction starts. This is done in case property owners later claim vibrations from the work damaged their homes.

Tori Weisel, president of the Irving Neighborhood Preservation Association, said about a dozen Irving residents plan to meet with TZC officials Wednesday to discuss which homes will be eligible for preconstruction surveys.

Meanwhile, the state has started to install new fencing along Van Wart Avenue to shield homes from traffic on the Thruway maintenance road. Weisel said more steps are needed.

“There is progress … but the true issue is not that fencing — it’s sound barriers and making sure our foundations are not rocked and cracked,” she said

State Cops To Relocate During T.Z. Rebuilding – Tarrytown Barracks Will Move To W. Nyack

LoHud.com April 27, 2013

Written by  Theresa Juva Brown

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201304262159/NEWS/304260115

Tappan Zee Constructors is finalizing a deal that would temporarily move state police and Thruway Authority facilities from Tarrytown to West Nyack during construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge, state officials confirmed Friday.

TZC is about to sign a lease for a 42,000-square-foot warehouse at 160 N. Route 303. It is the former site of The Journal News Rockland printing operation and is now owned by Hauser Brothers, a construction contracting group.

This latest deal comes just weeks after Tappan Zee Constructors moved hundreds of project employees to new, leased office space on Old White Plains Road in Tarrytown.

“It’s exciting,” said Paul Adler, vice president at Rand Commercial Services, which is handling the West Nyack deal. “Folks, particularly in commercial real estate, have been suffering. … To finally see the light at the end of the tunnel — and it’s not a train coming at you — is critically important.”

As part of the bridge project contract, TZC will tear down the existing state police and Thruway buildings on South Broadway and use the land as a construction staging area.

After the $4 billion project is completed, TZC will rebuild those facilities. In the meantime, it has agreed to pay to relocate those agencies.

The asking price for the West Nyack warehouse was $6.25 per square foot, according to a listing on Rand’s website.

Adler said Rand has been preparing to assist with the space needs of the Tappan Zee project since last year, including setting up a Web page, www.tappanzeebridgeinfo.com, which advertises various types of available properties in Westchester and Rockland.

In addition to commercial properties, Adler expects a growing demand for housing as project workers arrive in the area. That will benefit everyone, he said.

“Everything from the dry cleaners to the pizza shop to restaurants and hotels, all of them get a shot in the arm,” he said. “Coming out of the long, dark, deep recession, this is just the kind of bump people need to restart the engine.”

In fact, Wedged-in Deli and Catering at 605 Old White Plains Rd., not far from the new TZC office, is already getting a bump as occupants of the newly filled office space turn to the family operated business for their food needs.

“They have been ordering some catering from us and coming in during lunchtime,” deli manager Harrison Yu said. “It’s helping us, but we are definitely expecting more as construction goes full on.”

Brian Conybeare, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s special adviser on the project, called such signs “just the beginning of the positive economic impact” the project will have on the region.

 

 

 

Rand Commercial Services Weekly Real Estate Report- A Bridge To The Future

 

 

 

 

Are you a business looking to secure work related to the New NY Bridge project?

New City Patch; April 23, 201

By Krista Madsen

http://newcity.patch.com/articles/tappan-zee-bridge-business-to-business-forums-f6ab42a7?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

The New York State Thruway Authority, Tappan Zee Constructors, New York State Department of Labor and the New NY Works Program will provide information for businesses wanting to learn about contract opportunities related to the new Tappan Zee Bridge project 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza in Suffern.

Representatives of Tappan Zee Constructors, the NYS Dept. of Labor and Brian Coneybeare, special advisor to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the project, will be among those making presentations.

To register for this event, visit:
http://www.labor.ny.gov/careerservices/new-ny-bridge.shtm

There will also be an event 2:30 p.m. today (April 23, 2013) at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown.

New NY Bridge Project Update April 19, 2013

The new NY bridge

April 19, 2013

New NY Bridge surveying crews to conduct multiple operations

Surveying work for the New NY Bridge Project will continue during the week of April 22 as engineering crews conduct more design surveys at various locations in Rockland and Westchester in the vicinity of the project, including the Westchester Haul Road location on New York State Thruway property in Tarrytown.

Installation of construction monitoring devices is planned at several locations this week. These devices, which monitor vibration, noise, and air quality, will be in place for the duration of the project to record construction activity impacts.

Preconstruction surveys of properties located near the construction will begin next week. These operations will be conducted by engineering teams and will involve photographing the exterior and interior of structures. Tappan Zee Constructors is coordinating with the property owners for access.

Preconstruction geotechnical investigations will continue as small barge-based drilling equipment will work at various locations throughout the project footprint in the Hudson River. The crews are conducting preconstruction geotechnical surveys to determine soil conditions where future piles will be installed for the new span. Noise levels from the equipment will be at a minimum. The river-based operations will run continuously 24 hours a day Monday through Friday and possibly Saturday.

Westchester:
Limited test-boring operations will continue on land under the existing bridge and just to the north at the proposed bridge locations. These operations are being conducted on Thruway property and will not affect traffic in any way. The work is scheduled to be conducted between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Rockland:
There are no land-based boring operations scheduled for the Rockland area for the week of April 22.

Watch The New NY Bridge Animation

Tappan Zee Constructors recommended to build new Tappan Zee Bridge

Tappan Zee Bridge Presentation: The state Thruway Authority on Dec. 5, 2012 released three designs to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge. The $3.1 billion bid from Tappan Zee Constructors has apparently won the state’s recommendation. Video by WGRZ/wgrz.com

Tappan Zee Constructors has won the state’s advisory committee recommendation to build the new Tappan Zee Bridge for $3.1 billion, a source close to the selection process told The Journal News on Wednesday.

The consortium, which includes the company that built the existing 3-mile Tappan Zee 57 years ago, offered the least expensive bridge plan among the three teams competing for one of the largest public works projects in the country.

The suggested design for the Tappan Zee replacement, a cable-stayed bridge, has oddly angled towers on each span, a feature so unique it’s never been used in the United States, a state official said. He added that he knows of only one bridge — in Russia — with a similar element.

The twin-span bridge would also include a concrete deck on top of steel girders. Like the other two options, it would be strong enough to carry trains in the future. In addition, it would have deck connections in four places that can be used to turn traffic around in emergencies.

The crossing would have 35 piers in the river and be made up of 350-foot long spans to create the road deck. Those spans would be six times longer than the current ones. The proposal also calls for less dredging during construction than the state initially said would be required.

The Thruway Authority on Wednesday released the three proposals for the new bridge, but did not identify each team’s proposal, citing federal rules.

“To get a bridge to this point in a year was really a fantastic accomplishment,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a presentation at the Capitol.

Officials also announced that the state’s 38-member review panel had chosen the $3.1 billion bid because “they determined it was the best value,” said Brian Conybeare, a special adviser on the project.

The three proposals pegged the replacement cost between $3.1 billion and $4 billion, all much less than the initial construction price tag of $5.2 billion. Still, the proposal prices are preliminary estimates and don’t include another $600 to $800 million for expenses such as financing and management, state officials said.

American Bridge Co., which built the Tappan Zee, and Fluor Enterprises are members of the recommended Tappan Zee Constructors team. Those two firms are also involved in the $6.4 billion reconstruction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. A joint venture involving Kiewit Infrastructure and Skanska USA and a partnership of Bechtel Infrastructure and Tutor Perini also submitted proposals.

The construction time for each proposal was more than five years. Work is expected to begin next year.

Though the state’s panel has selected Tappan Zee Constructors, the Thruway Authority board makes the final decision. The board is set to vote for a winning team on Dec. 17. Until then, officials said the public can weigh in on the proposals on the bridge project’s website: http://www.newnybridge.com.

The design review team’s recommendations will be a major factor in the final decision, said Thomas Madison, the Thruway Authority’s executive director.

The contract award will have a ripple effect for homeowners in Rockland and Westchester.

A group of six neighbors in South Nyack are waiting to learn if they’ll remain in their homes during construction or they’ll be bought out, as most of them want. The state originally planned to take the homes but reversed that decision in May. The homeowners have asked the state to reconsider.

Homeowners said state officials have told them the contract award would allow the state to finally make a decision.

“It would be good to finally come to some kind of closure because everything has been up in the air for the longest time,” said John Cameron, who has lived in his South Broadway home with his wife, Hope Elliott Cameron, for the past six years.

A state official told Cameron and his neighbors they have reason to be “optimistic,” which he believes means the state will ask the winning bidder to buy the homes, he said.

Not everyone was satisfied with Wednesday’s developments, though.

Veronica Vanterpool, executive director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign, charged that the state’s preview of the proposals was incomplete. Her group has pushed for the plan to include mass transit along the Interstate 287 corridor.

“The proposals are still unclear about what mass transit ready means,” Vanterpool said in an email to The Journal News. “We look forward to an announcement of the TZB transit task force so these details can be hammered out. The proposals came in significantly below the projected $5.2 billion price tag, creating a greater opportunity to incorporate low-cost, bus rapid transit improvements into the project.”

Riverkeeper, the Hudson River’s leading advocacy group, was also not eager to endorse any of the proposals. Riverkeeper has criticized the state’s plan for not adequately addressing how the project could harm marine life.

“Riverkeeper is not surprised that the state has identified a reduced dredging option,” president Paul Gallay said. “We and the rest of the public need more information as to how this will affect the project’s overall environmental impacts, and we will seek to have those discussions with the state as soon as possible.”

Al Samuels, president of the Rockland Bussiness Association, said he agreed with the selection committee’s recommendation, which he said “makes the most sense.”

Plans for the new bridge have moved swiftly since last year, when the Obama Administration named it one of 14 top priority infrastructure projects across the country. In September, the Federal Highway Administration gave final approval to the project’s environmental study, allowing the replacement plan to proceed

It remains unclear, however, whether the federal government will give the state a low-interest loan. In its loan application, the state had said a new bridge could cost up to $5.9 billion. Without a significant loan, state officials warned of soaring tolls. Officials had said the current $5 cash toll could rise to $14.

Rockland Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell said Wednesday she wants to know what a smaller price tag means for those toll increases.

“I’ve talked for years about not putting the tolls on the backs of commuters,” Cornell said.

 

New Tappan Zee Bridge Project Update : Video

New Tappan Zee Bridge Project – Project Meeting July 25, 2012

Here is the video:

The New Tappan Zee Project :Video

Executive Director Thomas J Madison on the LoHud Editorial Spotlight discusses the new Tappan Zee Bridge and its impact on the Hudson Valley:

 

Some property information provided by CoStar, Loopnet, HGAR, Yelp, Rand Commercial Services and other public sources.