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The New NY Bridge November Newsletter
November 15, 2016 by
September 2016 New NY Bridge Monthly Newsletter
August 31, 2016 by
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May 2016 New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter
April 28, 2016 by
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The pair of peregrine falcons that live in a man-made nest box on the existing Tappan Zee Bridge became proud parents once again with the hatching of a nestling on April 10.
The New NY Bridge project team is inviting members of the public to help name the new falcon chick. A week-long naming contest is now underway on the project’s Falcon Cam webpage. Rockland and Westchester students came up with the names. |
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On Sunday April 24, travelers on the Tappan Zee Bridge said goodbye to the lines at the Tarrytown toll plaza thanks to cashless tolling. The state-of-the-art technology created a new traffic pattern in the area, eliminating the need for toll booths and speeding commutes across the river.
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Rows of towering piers stand in procession across the Hudson River as the New NY Bridge project steadily moves ahead.
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Years of hard work and careful planning on the New NY Bridge project are paying off as Tappan Zee Constructors recorded several construction milestones.
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Workers on the New NY Bridge project are making swift progress installing steel girders thanks, in part, to recent good weather.
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The New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter_March
March 17, 2016 by
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THE NEW NY BRIDGE MAGAZINE!
December 23, 2015 by
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Lanes Remain Open on TZ Bridge thru the Holiday week3end
December 22, 2015 by
For immediate release: Dec. 22, 2015
ALL LANES OF NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-87/I-287) WILL REMAIN OPEN FROM THURSDAY, DEC. 24 THROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 27 TO EASE HOLIDAY TRAVEL
All lanes of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) will remain open from Thursday, Dec. 24 through Sunday, Dec. 27 to help New Yorkers reach their winter holiday destinations. The four-day, lane-closure-free period follows Governor Andrew M. Cuomos Drivers First initiative, which gives priority to motorists by ensuring that disruptions associated with highway and bridge projects are kept as minimal as possible.
While Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue working in several areas of the project during the week of Dec. 22, none of the work will impede traffic. No construction work is scheduled for Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25. Safety and security teams will remain on site throughout the holiday period.
All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the projects temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland will continue this week near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound Thruway. The work will require overnight closures of two lanes of the southbound Thruway on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and Wednesday, Dec. 23. Specific lane closure times are detailed in the chart below.
Lane Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge
Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack Additional work includes:
Boater Safety The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times. More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. The page includes an interactive GPS map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River, detailing which vessels are stopped and which are in motion to a new location for recreational and commercial boaters to get current information on the very active construction zone. The vessel tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation. Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment. All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions. ### |
The New NY Bridge Newsletter for December
December 4, 2015 by
The New NY Bridge Newsletter for December
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As the installation of road deck panels continues into the fall and steel-blue girders extend even further out over the Hudson River, the New NY Bridge continues its steady march towards completion. Another sign of progress: the increasingly noticeable height of the main span towers, which are growing closer to their ultimate height of 419 feet.
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Project Update: Electronic Tolling System Requires Overnight Closures
November 13, 2015 by
For immediate release: Nov. 12, 2015
THRUWAY UNVEILS UPDATED PROJECT WEBSITE
All-Electronic Tolling System Work Requires Overnight Closure of Exit 10 On-Ramp on Friday, Nov. 20
The New York State Thruway Authority launched an updated NewNYBridge.com this week, featuring an easier-to-navigate interface, a comprehensive archive of project photos, videos and renderings, and a wealth of background information covering how the new crossing was studied and designed and is being built. Visit the new site and check back frequently for the latest updates on the fast-moving construction progress.
Steel Girder Installation
Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue installing steel girders near the Rockland shoreline, connecting the new bridges abutment to already-installed support structures in the Hudson River. Safely accomplishing the work will require reducing River Road/Piermont Avenue to one lane during weekdays between 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Flag persons will keep traffic moving by alternating the directional flow between north and south. TZC also will hold traffic on River Road once daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for up to 20 minutes through Wednesday, Nov. 18 to enable the safe movement of girders and other materials.
Across the river, TZC will continue installing structural steel girder assemblies from the new bridges Westchester landing in Tarrytown. The assemblies will connect the future westbound spans on-land abutment to the first offshore support pier in the Hudson River. TZC is installing the girders by literally pushing them west over the Metro-North Railroad Hudson Lines tracks toward the first pier in the river, as seen in this animation. As the operation progresses, additional girders are being connected to the assembly and pushed farther westward. TZC is closely coordinating the effort with Metro-North, ensuring that the operation maximizes safety for both workers and the public and minimizes impacts to rail service.
With the entire operation anticipated to conclude by the end of the year, the remaining work over the Metro-North tracks will occur during two Friday overnights, one in November and one in December. The work will be announced in advance to enable Metro-North riders to plan ahead. Metro-North has adjusted its schedule slightly to allow the work to be completed. TZC will suspend construction activities when trains pass through the area, resuming when given the all clear instruction by Metro-North.
Additionally, the I Lift NY super crane will continue placing larger girders across the Hudson River, averaging two placements a week. A total of 31 miles of steel girders cumulatively weighing more than 100,000 tons will be installed for the new twin-span bridge.
All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the projects temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland will continue near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287). The work will necessitate closing the on-ramp during the overnight of Friday, Nov. 20. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the graphic below. The work also requires double-lane closures during weekday overnights from Monday, Nov. 16 through Thursday, Nov. 19. This and other work require the specific lane and ramp closures detailed in the chart below.
Lane and Ramp Closures Near the Tappan Zee Bridge
Tower Construction Deck Panel Installation Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack Additional work includes:
Boater Safety The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times. More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation. Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment. All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions. ### |
New NY Bridge Project August 2015 Monthly Newsletter
August 4, 2015 by
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Holiday Traffic Update
July 2, 2015 by
For immediate release: July 1, 2015
NO LANE CLOSURES SCHEDULED ON NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT OVER INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND
Multiple Lane Closures During the Overnights of the Week of July 6
In observance of the Independence Day holiday, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will suspend most construction activities over the Fourth of July weekend. Security and limited maintenance operations will continue throughout the project site. In accordance with New York States Drivers First initiative, no construction related lane closures are scheduled on or near the New NY Bridge project site from Thursday morning, July 2 to Monday night, July 6. Drivers First, launched in 2012, prioritizes the convenience of motorists to ensure that traffic disruptions are as minimal as possible for drivers at highway and bridge construction projects across the state.
Boater Safety With the 2015 boating season in full swing, the New NY Bridge project team urges all boaters to use caution on the Hudson River near the construction zone and to take advantage of the extensive safety-related information available on the project website including the 2015 New NY Bridge Boater Safety Guide.
Enhanced marine law enforcement patrols are in effect for the Independence Day holiday weekend. The U.S. Coast Guard, Westchester and Rockland County marine units will be patrolling the area urging all boaters to use caution and follow all safety regulations.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.
More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.
Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.
Following the Holiday, Multiple-Lane Closures and Periodic Traffic Stops During the Overnights of Monday, July 6 through Friday, July 10 During the overnight of Monday, July 6, lane restriping operations will require triple-lane closures of the northbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) from exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – US Route 9) to exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). Specific lane closure times are listed in the chart below.
At least one lane will remain open at all times, except during periodic traffic stops lasting up to 10 minutes of all four lanes of the northbound Thruway near exit 11 (Nyack South Nyack US Route 9W). To ensure the publics safety, the New York State Police will stop and hold all traffic approaching the area immediately before the traffic stops go into effect. Motorists will be permitted to enter the Thruway from all ramps during the traffic stops.
Additionally the exit 10 (Nyack South Nyack US Route 9W) off-ramp from the northbound Thruway will also be closed during the overnight of Monday, July 6. Drivers will be directed to use exit 11 (Nyack South Nyack US Route 9W) as shown below:
During the overnight of Tuesday, July 7, construction operations will require overnight double-lane closures of the northbound Thruway from exit 9 (Tarrytown – Sleepy Hollow – US Route 9) to exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). Specific lane closure times are listed in the chart below.
At least one lane will remain open at all times, except during periodic traffic stops lasting up to 10 minutes of all four lanes of the northbound Thruway near exit 11 (Nyack South Nyack US Route 9W.
During the overnights of Wednesday, July 8 through Friday, July 10, construction operations will require triple-lane closures of the southbound Thruway in the area of exit 10 (Nyack South Nyack US Route 9W). Specific lane closure times are listed in the chart below.
Additionally the exit 10 (Nyack South Nyack US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound Thruway will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the overnights of Tuesday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 8. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the following graphic.
Lane closures throughout the coming week are scheduled as follows:
| I-287/I-87 Lane and Ramp Closures near the Tappan Zee Bridge | |||
| Date: | Closures Begin: | Closures End: | Location: |
| Mon, 7/6 | 8 p.m. One left lane
9 p.m. Two left lanes 11 p.m. Three left lanes |
4:30 a.m., Tue, 7/7 | Northbound, from exit 9 to exit 11 |
| Mon, 7/6 | 8 p.m. Ramp closure | 4:30 a.m., Tue, 7/7 | Northbound, exit 10 off-ramp |
| Tues, 7/7 | 8 p.m. One left lane
9 p.m. Two left lanes |
4:30 a.m., Wed, 7/8 | Northbound, from exit 9 to exit 11 |
| Tue, 7/7 | 8 p.m. Ramp closure | 4:30 a.m., Wed, 7/8 | Southbound,
exit 10 on-ramp |
| Wed, 7/8 | 8 p.m. One left lane
9 p.m. Two left lanes 11 p.m. Three left lanes |
5 a.m., Thu, 7/9 | Southbound, from exit 10 to exit 11 |
| Wed, 7/8 | 8 p.m. Ramp Closure | 4:30 a.m., Wed, 7/8 | Southbound,
exit 10 on-ramp |
| Thu, 7/9 | 8 p.m. One left lane
9 p.m. Two left lanes 11 p.m. Three left lanes |
5 a.m., Fri 7/10 | Southbound, from exit 10 to exit 11 |
| Fri, 7/10 | 9 p.m. One left lane
10 p.m. Two left lanes 11 p.m. Three left lanes |
6 a.m., Sat 7/11 | Southbound, from exit 10 to exit 11 |
All planned work is subject to postponement due to weather conditions.
Steel Girder Assemblies As piers are finalized in the coming weeks and months, steel girder assemblies for the approach span of the new bridge will continue being installed by the I Lift NY super crane.
Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack Next week will see continued installation of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. The work will involve drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.
River Road in South Nyack River Road utility work will continue over the coming week. The work may require reducing River Road to one lane at times. TZC flag persons will direct traffic as needed and additional signage as well as other safety measures will be in place.
Foundation Work on the New Bridge Marine crews are continuing work on bridge foundations next week by placing reinforcing steel and concrete in the piles, main span pile caps and approach span pile caps. The high-strength concrete is made on site by the projects floating batch plants. Teams also will erect formwork for the cast-in-place pier columns, which eventually will support the new bridges road deck.
Crews also will continue working on the bridges landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.
Additionally, TZC will continue concrete placement for bridge foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and is delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the Thruways southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.
Additional work includes:
- Girder installation
- Pile cap foundation construction
- Main span foundation construction
- Landing abutment concrete work
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
- Survey inspections on the existing bridge
- Westchester Landings utility work
All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.
TZ Bridge Traffic Updates For the Week of June 15, 2015
June 15, 2015 by
For immediate release: June 12, 2015
CONSTRUCTION STARTING ON NOISE BARRIERS ALONG SOUTHBOUND NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-87/I-287) IN SOUTH NYACK
After months of preparation, crews will begin installing foundations for noise barriers along the southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. The work will involve drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.
Continued Overnight Triple-Lane Closures of Southbound Thruway
Weekday overnight triple-lane closures of the southbound Thruway will occur from Monday night, June 15 through Saturday morning, June 20. Closures will start at 8 p.m. with the closing of one lane near exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) to the Tappan Zee Bridge, followed by a second lane at 9 p.m. and a third at 11 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 6 a.m. the following weekday. The closures on Friday, June 19 will start with a single lane at 9 p.m., a second lane at 11 p.m. and a third at 11:59 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 8 a.m., Saturday, June 20.
Triple-lane closures of the southbound Thruway in the same area also are planned for the overnight of Saturday, June 13, with a single lane closing at 7 p.m., followed by a second lane at 11 p.m. and a third at 1 a.m., Sunday, June 14. All lanes will reopen by 11 a.m., Sunday, June 14.
All planned work is subject to postponement due to weather conditions.
Single-Lane Closures of Northbound Thruway During Morning Commuting Periods on June 18 and 19
Single-lane closures of the northbound Thruway will occur on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19. The closures will start at 5 a.m. near the Tappan Zee Bridge to exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W). The lane will reopen by 2 p.m. both days.
River Road in South Nyack
River Road utility work will continue during the week of June 15. The work may require reducing River Road to one lane at times. TZC flag persons will direct traffic as needed and additional signage as well as other safety measures will be in place.
Foundation Work on the New Bridge
Marine crews are continuing work on bridge foundations next week by placing reinforcing steel and concrete in the piles, main span pile caps and approach span pile caps. The high-strength concrete is made on site by the projects floating batch plants. Teams also will erect formwork for the cast-in-place pier columns, which eventually will support the new bridges road deck.
Crews also will continue working on the bridges landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.
Construction of pier 1 located near River Road in South Nyack will continue with the installation of sheet piles. The sheet piles support the surrounding soil while the foundation for the new bridge pier is constructed. Pile driving is restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday. TZC is implementing noise-reducing measures, including sound-absorptive temporary noise barriers, to protect nearby residents. The projects environmental compliance team will be on site to monitor noise levels during the operation.
Additionally, TZC will continue concrete placement for bridge foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and is delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the Thruways southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.
Additional work includes:
- Pile cap foundation construction
- Main span foundation construction
- Landing abutment concrete work
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
- Survey inspections on the existing bridge
- Westchester Landings utility work
Boater Safety
During the summer months, Westchester and Rockland Marine Units will add extra patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.
More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.
Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.
All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.
WORK CONTINUES ON TEMPORARY ALL-ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM
May 4, 2015 by
Several Weeks of Weekday Overnight Triple-Lane Closures
on New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) Start May 4
Several weeks of weekday overnight triple-lane closures of southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/ I-287) will begin Monday, May 4. The Monday-through-Friday closures will start as early as 7 p.m. with the closure of one lane near exit 11 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) to the Tappan Zee Bridge, followed by a second lane closed at 9 p.m. and a third at 10:30 p.m. All lanes will reopen 6 a.m., Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m., Saturday. At least one lane will remain open at all times, except during the periodic traffic holds described below.
The lane closures are necessary to allow Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) to modify the highway for a temporary all-electronic toll collection system that will be employed until a permanent system is constructed in the location of the current toll plaza in Tarrytown.
In addition, periodic closures of all four lanes of the southbound Thruway in the vicinity of exit 11 (Nyack South Nyack US Route 9W) will occur between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. during the overnights of Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7. To ensure the publics safety, the New York State Police will stop and hold all traffic approaching the area immediately before the closures go into effect. Motorists will be permitted to enter the Thruway from all ramps during the closures. The complete closures are necessary to move equipment from the right shoulder to the left shoulder.
Finally, the exit 10 (Nyack South Nyack US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound Thruway will be closed from 10 p.m., Tuesday, May 5 to 5 a.m., Wednesday, May 6. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown on the following graphic. The closure will allow TZC to mobilize a crane that will place concrete slabs for the all-electronic toll collection system.
All planned work is subject to postponement due to weather conditions.
River Road in South Nyack
River Road utility work will continue the week of May 4. The work may require reducing River Road to one lane at times. TZC flag persons will direct traffic as needed and additional signage as well as other safety measures will be in place.
Foundation Work on the New Bridge
Marine crews will continue working on the foundations for the new bridge next week by placing reinforcing steel and concrete in the piles, main span pile caps and approach span pile caps. The high-strength concrete is made on site by the projects two floating batch plants. Teams also will erect formwork for the cast-in-place pier columns, which eventually will support the new bridges road deck. With only a small percentage of piles left to install, pile driving operations will continue next week. Pile driving is restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday.
Crews also will continue working on the bridges landings at the Rockland and Westchester shorelines. The abutments, comprised of steel and concrete, will serve as strong bases where the new crossing meets the landside roadway.
TZC will continue concrete placement for foundations near the South Nyack shoreline. The concrete for this work is being acquired from local concrete suppliers and is delivered by truck to the Rockland trestle located off the Thruways southbound access ramp. Trucks exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. The access ramps are used only by construction vehicles, providing a safe route directly to the work site and reducing traffic impacts on local roads.
Additional work includes:
- Pile cap foundation construction
- Main span foundation construction
- Concrete placement for foundations
- Landing abutment concrete work
- River Road utility work
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
- Survey inspections on the existing bridge
Boater Safety
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.
More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on the very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.
Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.
All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.
The New NY Bridge Newsletter for May 2015
April 28, 2015 by
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The New NY Bridge April 2015 Newsletter
April 1, 2015 by
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Remobilizing on the Hudson River As the Lower Hudson Valley thaws out from a particularly punishing winter, the hardworking men and women of the New NY Bridge project are remobilizing on the river. |
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While frigid weather conditions have limited river work in recent weeks, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) has been forging ahead with the parts of the bridge that anchor it to the land: the abutments. Located at each end of the crossing, the stout abutments will serve as solid foundations for the bridge and the land-side highway.
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On Feb. 28, the New NY Bridge (NNYB) project educational outreach team met with Girl Scout troops from Greenburgh and Elmsford to promote careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
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The construction of river crossings present an engineering challenge: how to build in the water?.
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Traffic Update thru Jan 4th to Ease Holiday Travels
December 30, 2014 by
| For immediate release: December 26, 2014
ALL LANES OF NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY (I-87/I-287) WILL REMAIN OPEN FROM FRIDAY DEC. 26, 2014 THROUGH SUNDAY, JAN. 4, 2015 TO EASE HOLIDAY TRAVEL All lanes of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) will remain open from Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 through Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015 to help New Yorkers reach their winter holiday destinations. The 10-day lane-closure-free period follows Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s “Drivers First” initiative, which gives priority to motorists by ensuring that disruptions associated with highway and bridge projects are kept as minimal as possible. While Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue working in several areas of the project during the week of Dec. 29, none of the planned activities will result in the closure of any traffic lanes. No construction work is scheduled for New Year’s Day, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, though safety and security teams will remain on site. Limited concrete placement will continue as TZC progresses the investigation of the recent incident on one of its floating concrete batch plants. The concrete for foundations near the S. Nyack shoreline will be acquired from local concrete suppliers that will be delivered to the site via trucks to the Rockland Trestle off of the New York State Thruway southbound access ramp. The trucks will exit the trestle to the Thruway via the northbound access ramp. This work could begin as soon as this week. Activities on the Westchester and Rockland landings will continue as originally scheduled as this work has always been planned to receive the needed concrete from trucks to the site. Continued Demolition of Westchester Landing of Existing Tappan Zee Bridge Pile Driving and Other Construction Activity A second shift of workers also will continue pile welding, pile cleanout and concrete placement operations associated with foundations. Work is continuing on the new bridge’s landings on both sides of the river. Additional work includes:
Boater Safety More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation. Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment. All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/index.html?layer=incidents for real-time information regarding traffic conditions |
Tappan Zee Bridge Fall Quarterly Magazine
November 28, 2014 by
In this issue:
- I Lift NY Super Crane: New York’s Monumental Lifter
- Educational Outreach: Building Bridges to the Next Generation
- Project Update: Foundations for the Future
- The New NY Works: An Empire State Economic Engine
Read Complete Newsletter here:
http://www.newnybridge.com/documents/publications/2014/fall-quarterly-magazine.pdf
New NY Bridge Project Monthly Newsletter_ November 2014
November 6, 2014 by
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I Lift NY Arrives at the New NY Bridge Project Following a 6,000 mile journey that included transit through the Panama Canal, the New NY Bridge project’s I Lift NY super crane arrived at the Hudson River construction site on October 6. |
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October 16, 2014 marked the first anniversary of permanent construction operations on the New NY Bridge project, and the past year has seen exceptional progress on the foundations of the new crossing. Looking ahead, the project is poised to make even greater and more visible strides in the coming year.
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The I Lift NY super crane arrived at the New NY Bridge site on October 6. Here is a video of the powerful lifter completing the last leg of its 6,000-mile journey.
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Led by the recently-arrived I Lift NY super crane, an armada of more than 30 floating cranes – each capable of raising immense structural elements with great precision – is hard at work lifting and placing many millions of pounds of components and materials to help build the New NY Bridge. These workhorse machines are critical to keeping the project on schedule for completion in 2018.
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Now in its second year, the New NY Bridge Educational Outreach Program continues to engage students of all ages in Westchester, Rockland and beyond. The program reflects Governor Andrew Cuomo’s goal of using the state’s largest infrastructure project to educate tomorrow’s professionals. This year, the team is focusing on the ‘how-it-works’ engineering behind the new bridge’s foundations.
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Those keen on observing firsthand the progress of the New NY Bridge project are invited to the recently-opened Westchester viewing platform in Tarrytown’s Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park. Located near the Tarrytown Senior Center at 240 West Main Street, the easy-to-access platform provides an unobstructed view of the project site.
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Tappan Zee Bridge Skeleton Takes Shape at Tomkins Cove
October 24, 2014 by
Less than 15 miles from where the new Tappan Zee Bridge is being built, its steely skeleton is being put together. Dozens of workers are assembling fortified steel cages along the Hudson River.
STONY POINT – Less than 15 miles from the Tappan Zee Bridge, the steel skeleton of its replacement is being meticulously pieced together.
“The site is perfect,” Ro DiNardo, construction services manager for bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors, said. “It’s 18 acres, and it has all the space we needed for these activities.”
For the first time, Tappan Zee Constructors on Tuesday offered a behind-the-scenes look at the bustling staging area at Tomkins Cove, a former power plant next to the Hudson River. DiNardo said its proximity to the bridge is saving time on the $3.9 billion replacement project, which is expected to be completed in 2018.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening on site:
Pile reinforcement
The estimated 1,000 hollow piles that are being set in the Hudson River are being fortified with cages made of reinforced steel, also known as rebar.
Bridge columns
Workers are also assembling cages that will ultimately become bridge columns. The steel structures are produced in a factory in New Jersey and dipped in hot zinc to strengthen them. The coiled-up steel is loaded on trucks and delivered to Tomkins Cove.
Using detailed diagrams, crews of five workers spend several days creating the sections, some of which are 20 feet long.
Then, DiNardo said, comes the tricky and most dangerous part: pouring the concrete into the mold that is built around sections of steel.
“We actually have to put men inside there so we can pour from the bottom and work our way up,” said DiNardo, of New City. “There are a lot of safety concerns. We have to have an entire plan together before we put anyone in there.”
Tower work
The structures that will be used to build the bridge’s eight towers are under construction at the site, too.
Each rectangular platform, known as climbing forms, has an opening in the middle where the concrete gets poured to create the towers in sections.
A hydraulic lift will raise the structure, with the platform eventually standing more than 30 stories above water.
“As we build, this will move with us,” DiNardo said of the platform.
The climbing forms are expected to arrive at the project site by barge in February.
Improved safety
Because the staging area sits next to an active railroad, the project team and railroad officials have had to make adjustments.
In the past few months, CSX freight trains were left unattended for up to two hours during crew shift changes, blocking emergency access to the site. In one instance over the summer, a worker who had an allergic reaction to something he ate, had to be brought by boat to a medical facility in Westchester.
Tappan Zee Constructors has just finished building a foot bridge over the tracks to allow emergency responders to reach the site by land.
The bridge builder expects to use Tomkins Cove through 2017. Eventually, the site will likely be used to demobilize cranes and other equipment when the work is done.
Fast facts
Tomkins Cove staging area: 18 acres
Workers: Approximately 60 not including subcontractors
Truck traffic: 5 to 20 per day
Barge traffic: 1 to 5 per day
Distance to Tappan Zee Bridge site: 14 nautical miles
Ask us about the Tappan Zee
When: Nov. 1 at 11 a.m.
Where: Pierson Park, Tarrytown
What: Journal News/lohud transportation reporters Theresa Juva-Brown and Khurram Saeed will answer questions and listen to comments about our Tappan Zee Bridge coverage. Join them for the informal chat over coffee and snacks.
Massive crane arrives at site of new Tappan Zee Bridge
October 7, 2014 by
By Judy Rife; Times Herald-Record
Posted Oct. 6, 2014 @ 7:33 pm
NYACK – One of the world’s largest floating cranes, in the wings in Jersey City since January, finally took center stage at the construction site of the new Tappan Zee Bridge on Monday. The crane, known as the I Lift NY, got the kind of gushing welcome that celebrities are accustomed to – including a declaration of love from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“I truly love this crane,’’ said Cuomo, surrounded by dozens of crane-ogling journalists and officials on a 149-passenger ferry off Piermont. “Every New Yorker should love this crane because it’s saving us a lot of money – as much as a billion dollars.”
The crane was a factor in the ability of Tappan Zee Constructors to win the $3.1 billion contract to design and build the new TZB, underbidding its two competitors by almost $1 billion in the process. Its superior lifting ability will allow much of the new bridge’s superstructure to be assembled off site and hoisted into place, slicing time and expense off the construction bill.
Darrell Waters, TZC’s president, said the crane will start work this week, and construction, concentrated in the river until now, will become more vertical and visible by the end of the year.
“We are 24 percent complete and we are on time and on budget,’’ said Waters, adding that 65 percent of the piles that will ultimately support the new bridge’s piers have been installed.
What surprised the welcoming party on the ferry was how ordinary the partially collapsed crane looked as it glided toward the TZB at four knots – despite sitting on a barge the size of a football field.
Its jaw-dropping size only became apparent when the ferry swung around it and the crane could be viewed against the bridge – and then it towered over the bridge and the 130 other pieces of construction equipment, including 31 cranes, in the water.
TZC will fill the barge with water and further collapse portions of the crane Tuesday in preparation for moving the I Lift NY beneath the bridge, 139 feet above the Hudson at low tide, Wednesday. Waters said he expects to have three feet of clearance.
As the ferry returned to Piermont, Cuomo was peppered with questions about what the tolls will be when the new bridge opens in 2018, a subject he has avoided in this election year.
The governor said that the state needs “a little more information” before it can speculate about the tolls. He pointed out incentives and penalties in the construction contract, as well as additional state or federal aid, could ultimately affect the project’s cost and the amount to be raised through tolls.
“It’s four years down the road,’’ he said.
judyrife@gmail.com
http://www.recordonline.com/article/20141006/NEWS/141009636/101008/NEWSLETTER100
Going Vertical First Columns Rise out of the Hudson
October 3, 2014 by
Following extensive pile installation and other foundation work in the Hudson River over the past year, the first permanent, vertical elements of the New NY Bridge are beginning to take shape: Two 40-foot steel cage towers now stand near the Westchester shore. Soon—with the addition of high-strength concrete—the first pier for the westbound span will be created.
“Everything we’ve been doing to date has been below the surface. This new work is giving people the first opportunity to see the bridge rising above the water,” noted Thruway Authority Construction Compliance Engineer Tom McGuinness.
The columns—over 130 in total—eventually will support the steel girders and deck of the new bridge. The girders and decking will be lifted in place by the soon-to-arrive I Lift NY super crane.
The steel cage frameworks for the piers are pre-assembled at a site several miles upriver. The rebar cages are transported to the project site by barge and lifted into place by floating cranes.
After the steel cages are carefully inspected, they are filled with concrete produced by the project’sfloating batch plants. Enclosing forms are erected around the frameworks to enable the concrete to set in the shape of the piers that will hold up the new twin-span structure.
The floating concrete batch plants maneuver around the river, mixing the precise amount of concrete required and using an extending arm to apply the material directly into the frameworks. The concrete flows around the steel cages and eventually hardens to form steel-reinforced concrete. The composite material is remarkably strong and capable of supporting the new bridge for the next century or more.
The New NY Bridge project remains on schedule and on budget as it approaches the one-year anniversary of new bridge construction that began with permanent pile installation in October 2013. Local residents can expect to see more and more vertical pier structures rise out of the river in the coming months as construction progress continues.
A Visit from the Past Original Tappan Zee Engineer Visits New NY Bridge Project
October 2, 2014 by
The New NY Bridge Rockland Community Outreach Center welcomed a surprising visitor earlier this month: an engineer from the original Tappan Zee Bridge construction team. Jerry Sondack was in his late 20s when he helped build the existing bridge more than half a century ago. Now, as the replacement bridge rises out of the Hudson River, the 90-year-old World War II veteran stopped by to learn how the new structure is being engineered to meet the needs of the growing region.
As a young man living in New York City in the 1950s, Sondack heard about the Thruway’s plans for a new bridge and was eager to contribute. He approached engineers from Madigan-Hyland, the engineering firm that built the Tappan Zee Bridge, asking how he could get involved.
Eventually, Sondack was engaged full time on the project. One of the many former military men who worked on construction of the Tappan Zee, he says their experience in America’s armed forces helped foster a safe and efficient working environment amid the immense construction equipment and materials.
Sondack’s day-to-day activities included surveying the Tappan Zee Bridge’s caissons, which are hollow concrete bases that support much of the bridge.
Now, as the region’s growing population increases demands on the aging Tappan Zee Bridge, Sondack told project officials, “[Rockland] county needs a bridge of greater capacity; the old bridge won’t be able to handle this in the future. We need a new bridge that will sustain the flow of people into Rockland in the years ahead.”
Sondack observed the scale of the New NY Bridge project evokes the project he worked on all those years ago. “When you take on a project this grand, the amount of coordination and tight-knit supervision is extraordinary,” he noted.
Sondack’s work on the landmark Tappan Zee Bridge project boosted his career, helping him land future jobs and pursue other business opportunities. After the project’s completion, he settled in the Spring Valley area of Rockland County for over a decade. Now as a retiree, he looks forward to crossing the new bridge when the first span opens in 2016.
The New NY Bridge Community Outreach Centers in Westchester and Rockland counties are open seven days a week. For locations and hours, visit NewNYBridge.com/contac
UPDATED: VIEWING PLATFORMS TAKE SHAPE AS CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT
September 5, 2014 by
For immediate release: September 5, 2014
UPDATED: VIEWING PLATFORMS TAKE SHAPE AS CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT
Construction on the New NY Bridge viewing platform in Nyack took another step forward this past week as Nyack officials broke ground on a new fishing pier in Memorial Park. The pier will be the site of the Rockland viewing platform. The plan for the site is the result of months of collaboration between village officials and the New NY Bridge project team
Viewing platforms in Nyack and at Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park in Tarrytown will provide residents and visitors with an unobstructed and easily accessible view of the historic project’s progress and will include spotter’s guides, informational signs and high tech binoculars.
The installation of the new bridge’s pile caps will continue the week of Sept. 8. The caps, which cover the foundation piles installed in the river, are large hollow tubs that are fabricated offsite. The forms weigh several hundred tons and are barged to the project site for installation. Once in place, they are filled with reinforcing steel and concrete.
Construction will continue in the Hudson River as crews place the foundation for the New NY Bridge. Work will include pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
A second shift of workers will also continue pile welding, pile cleanout and concrete placement operations associated with permanent foundations.
TZC will also continue construction on the new bridge’s Westchester landing, drilling holes into the bedrock for the foundation. This drilling process will produce less noise than the impact pile driving alternative, and TZC has installed sound mitigation to further reduce noise levels for the eight-week operation. The work will continue to the new westbound abutment in Westchester over the next few weeks.
Sheet pile installation at the Rockland landing is complete at this time. The sheet piles will allow TZC to excavate soil in that location and construct the westbound landing for the new bridge.
Work will continue on the Rockland work trestle near the shoreline, including pile driving and cofferdam installation. The trestle will support equipment used for the construction of the westernmost section of the new bridge.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of five knots, and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.
More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.
Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.
Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):
| Monday | Sept 08 | Northbound, Left Lane near Exit 9 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Tuesday | Sept 09 | Northbound, Left Lane near Exit 9 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Wednesday | Sept 10 | Southbound, Right Lane near Exit 9 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Ongoing Operations:
- Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
- Pile Cap foundation construction
- Main Span foundation construction
- Rockland Landing construction
- Westchester landing construction
- River Road utility work
- Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving
- Survey inspections on existing bridge
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
T.Z. Bridge: State cops move to Rockland from Tarrytown
August 12, 2014 by
LoHud august 8, 2014 Theresa Juva-Brown, tjuva@lohud.com
If you’re looking for the state police station in Tarrytown, be prepared to drive across the Tappan Zee Bridge to Rockland.
Troopers have moved to 160 N. Route 303 in West Nyack, where they will share a 42,000-square-foot building with 28 Thruway Authority employees for the next four years. It also is housing the headquarters of Zone 1, which includes three state police barracks in the region.
The Thruway and state police leave behind an 18,000-square-foot building on Route 9 that will be torn down in the next year to make way for Tappan Zee Bridge construction activities.
“We were over there for 50-plus years in that barracks,” said state police Capt. Richard Mazzone, commander of Zone 1. “The move — when you’ve been in the building that long — is certainly a little difficult, but we certainly planned it well, and we’ve made the move rather seamless.”
Though the Tarrytown station is now in Rockland, it has retained its Westchester identity.
“We are referring to it as the Tarrytown barracks,” Mazzone said. “This is a temporary facility.”
In 2018 after the new Tappan Zee Bridge is completed, state police and the Thruway Authority will move back to Tarrytown to separate locations that have yet to be built.
For the past month, troopers have been settling into the transformed warehouse, the former Journal News printing plant. The new building has its perks — a lot more space — but also drawbacks — a lack of windows and natural light.
Mazzone said he doesn’t know of any problems with people finding the new location, which is a couple miles from the Tappan Zee, unlike the old barracks.
“As far as the 100 miles of roadway in Zone 1, the bridge is one of the most critical pieces of roadway,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be nicer when we get back in the new facility, where I can look out the window and actually see the bridge.”
That will be especially important because the new 3-mile crossing will have a path for cyclists and pedestrians.
“We’re certainly anticipating some additional responsibilities with the shared-use path,” Mazzone said.
Building the Backbone of the New NY Bridge
August 11, 2014 by
Main Span Bases Rise out of the Hudson
Two enormous structures with bases the size of football fields are rising out of the Hudson River at the New NY Bridge project site. These concrete monoliths are the pile caps that will act as the structural backbone for New York’s largest bridge and highway infrastructure project, distributing the weight of the bridge onto dozens of steel foundation piles.
The main span pile caps will support the bridge’s 400-foot towers, and require months of preparation to complete.
To construct these main span pile caps, steel pilings are first driven deep into the riverbed, reaching bedrock hundreds of feet below the surface. Once all the piles are in place, a series of concrete floor panels is pieced together around them, outlining the footprint of the pile cap as the supporting base for its concrete pour. The team then positions heavy steel panels precisely around the edge of this footprint to form a massive tub, which is sealed to be watertight and carefully lowered into the river to bring its base to the proper final level for the concrete pile cap.
Next, workers build the pile cap’s reinforcement system inside this lowered tub. The team installs high-strength steel reinforcement bars, called rebar, to closely-engineered dimensions within the form.
The project’s floating batch plantsare then moved adjacent to the pile cap, and each form is filled with concrete specially formulated for long-term durability. The process continues over many hours until the entire footprint is covered with concrete to the specified depth. Once this steel-reinforced concrete hardens, the backbone of the new structure will have taken shape.
Learn more about how steel piles are transported to the project site, or installed with the well-being of local wildlife in mind.
Read complete Monthly Newsletter here:
http://www.newnybridgegallery.com/updates/august-2014-new-ny-bridge-monthly-newsletter/
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE
August 2, 2014 by
Nighttime and overnight electrical work on the Tarrytown approach to the Tappan Zee Bridge will continue the week of August 4. The I-87 northbound/I-287 westbound right lane will be closed Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 8 from 9 p.m. each evening to 5 a.m. the following morning. The Thruway will remain open to traffic during these operations.
Construction will continue in the Hudson River as crews install foundations for the New NY Bridge. Work will include pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
A second shift of workers will also continue pile welding, pile cleanout and concrete placement operations associated with permanent foundations.
Sheet pile driving at locations on land and near the Rockland landing is temporarily on hold due to high noise levels from the operation. TZC will implement additional noise-reducing measures before resuming these operations. Sheet pile driving will commence once the measures are in place. All other construction activities not associated with driving the sheet piles will continue.
Work will also continue on the Rockland temporary work trestle near the county shoreline, including pile driving to install the temporary foundations needed to support the platform. The trestles will support cranes for the construction of the western-most section of the new bridge.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of five knots, and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.
More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, and construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is also available here for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.
Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are illuminated at night as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.
Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):
| Monday | Aug 4 | Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 9 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Monday | Aug 4 | Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge | 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Tuesday | Aug 5 | Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge | 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Wednesday | Aug 6 | Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge | 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Thursday | Aug 7 | Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge | 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
| Friday | Aug 8 | Northbound, Right Lane approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge | 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. |
Ongoing Operations:
- Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
- Pile cap foundation construction
- Main span foundation construction
- Rockland landing construction
- Westchester landing construction
- River Road utility work
- Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving
- Survey inspections on existing bridge
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
T.Z. viewing areas in Nyack, Tarrytown to open this fall
July 29, 2014 by
The public will be able to see construction up close and learn all about the mega-project.
The two designated spots from which people can watch the new Tappan Zee Bridge get built are likely to open in October.
The sites will be at parks in Nyack and Tarrytown and feature view finders, seats and detail-rich panels about constructing the world’s widest bridge.
Even though the river villages share a common goal, they are working separately to build their respective viewing areas.
Local officials anticipate the spots will prove to be tourist draws, and entice people to spend money at village shops and restaurants.
Nyack
Rockland’s viewing area is piggybacking on a long-planned conversion of the fishing pier at the southern end of Memorial Park.
The village is planning to hold a groundbreaking during the first week of August, Mayor Jen Laird-White said. It had already secured a $150,000 grant from New York’s state department when Tappan Zee project officials approached it about using the 90-foot long pier as an official vantage point.
Laird-White called it “frosting on the cake” since the village would receive $50,000 to make the pier even more of an attraction.
Village trustees last Thursday awarded a contract for installation of the piles for the pier.
Pile driving is expected to begin in late August followed by decking, Village Administrator Jim Politi said.
“Once you set the pilings, which I’m sure will take a couple of weeks, then building the actual structure is another couple of weeks,” he said.
From that point, Politi said it was just a matter to adding the decorative lighting, fancy wood railings and the bridge-related materials.
The viewing area should be ready in October, he said.
Tarrytown
Village trustees last week authorized a $50,000 contract with the state Thruway Authority to move forward on the viewing area at RiverWalk Park at the end of West Main Street, Village Administrator Mike Blau said. Both Tarrytown and Nyack are receiving funding through a special $20 million community fund set up for the project. The Thruway Authority and bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors are jointly contributing to it.
Once the village receives the technical specifications from the Thruway’s design consultant, it will put the project out to bid, likely in mid-August.
After the bids are received and one selected, Blau expects work will begin in mid- to late September.
“It shouldn’t take that long to actually do the construction end of this project,” he said, anticipating an early October opening date.
According to project renderings, a tiered timber bench will be added to the existing round deck that’s largely enclosed by a stone wall. A pergola will provide shade for visitors.
Three colorful interpretive panels will offer a bevy of information: from an overview of the construction site to design and features of the $3.9 billion bridge to a project schedule. A “spotter’s guide” for the different types of equipment being used on the river may prove most popular of all.
Besides describing what each vessel does, the guide also offers a factoid about each one. For example, the super crane registered as the Left Coast Lifter is longer than a football field while one floating concrete batch plant can produce enough concrete to fill 100 cement trucks in a single day.
There is no mention of tolls.
Twitter: @ksaeed1
Tappan Zee project: State troopers set up shop in Rockland
July 5, 2014 by
LoHud;
The state police and the Thruway Authority have temporarily shifted their operations due to Tappan Zee Bridge construction. They will be in Rockland until 2018.
State Police Troop T and the state Thruway Authority this week began relocating their operations from Tarrytown to the former Journal News printing plant at 160 N. Route 303 in West Nyack. The building is near Interchange 12 on the Thruway, across the street from the Palisades Center mall.
Capt. Richard Mazzone, the zone commander, said they are 95 percent moved in.
“Everything that was in Tarrytown is coming over here,” Mazzone told The Journal News. “Obviously, we still have a lot of unpacking to do. But we’re up and running.”
The state police and Thruway facilities at 333 S. Broadway in Tarrytown will be demolished and the land used as a staging area during construction of the $3.9 billion bridge. Part of the property will later be included in the bridge’s alignment.
In 2018, the state police will move back to new barracks in Tarrytown, this time on the south side of the Thruway, near the current site of the Thruway Authority’s toll plaza building.
The authority’s maintenance operations will also return to Westchester, north of the new bridge. They are expected to share space with a parking lot and facilities that will serve users of the bridge’s 3-mile bicycle and pedestrian path that will connect to South Nyack.
The shift to the 42,000-square-foot warehouse had been anticipated for more than a year.
Tappan Zee Constructors, the team designing and building the new bridge, began work to renovate the facility in January. It is contractually obligated to relocate the two agencies and rebuild their facilities when construction is finished.
Back in February, The Journal News reported some of the changes the site would see including doubling on-site parking to 145 spaces from 73 and adding an 8-foot-high fence to serve as a buffer between Thruway parking lots and homes on North Greenbush Road.
Troopers will use the north part of the building and the parking lot toward Route 303. Mazzone said people should continue to call 911 during emergencies and Thruway dispatchers at 800-842-2233 for non-emergency situations.
The Thruway Authority will use the back of the building, and carry out maintenance, welding, rigging and electric work in existing shop space. About 30 Thruway maintenance workers are moving over from Tarrytown to West Nyack, a Tappan Zee project official said.
Tim Donovan, project manager for Hauser Brothers Inc., which owns the building, noted the warehouse had been vacant for years and said the company was excited the space would generate income until at least 2018.
“It’s nice to have it leased and leased for that amount of time,” Donovan said.
Twitter: @ksaeed1
CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF 6/23
June 23, 2014 by
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE
Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue work on the Rockland County landing of the new bridge. The work will last several weeks and includes the installation of sheet piles, some measuring over 50 feet long. These interlocking steel sheets will support the existing roadway during the excavation and construction process. A large crane with a vibratory pile hammer will install the sheets, and be positioned behind a temporary concrete barrier in South Nyack.
In Westchester County, crews will conduct directional boring for future utility relocations under I-87/I-287 west of the toll plazas from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. the week of June 23. The overnight operation requires the closing of various toll lanes. Different tolls lanes will be affected as the work progresses. The Thruway will remain open at all times.
Construction of the New NY Bridge will continue with pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
A second shift of workers will also continue pile welding operations associated with permanent foundations.
Work will also continue on the Rockland temporary work trestle near the county shorelines, including pile driving to install the temporary foundations needed to support the platform. The trestles will support cranes for the construction of the western-most section of the new bridge.
Lane Closures for New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287):
| Monday | June 23 | Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Monday | June 23 | Southbound, Toll Plaza Lanes 6-7-8 | 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. |
| Tuesday | June 24 | Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Tuesday | June 24 | Southbound, Toll Plaza Lanes 6-7-8 | 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. |
| Wednesday | June 25 | Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Wednesday | June 25 | Southbound, Toll Plaza Lanes 8-9-10 | 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. |
| Thursday | June 26 | Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Thursday | June 26 | Southbound, Toll Plaza Lanes 8-9-10 | 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. |
| Friday | June 27 | Northbound, Right Lane near Exit 10 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night. An interactive map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River is now available on the project website, NewNYBridge.com, for recreational and commercial boaters to get updated information on this very active construction zone. The GPS tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation. More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site maps, can be found here.
Ongoing Operations:
- Permanent pile installation, including pile driving between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays
- Rockland Landing construction
- Westchester Landing utility relocations
- River Road utility work
- Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving
- Survey inspections on existing bridge
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
- Armoring of Dredge channel
- Relocation/Moving to the Temporary Joint Facility at exit 12
State to loan $511M for new TZ Bridge
June 17, 2014 by
LoHud; Joseph Spector, TJN3:03 p.m. EDT June 16, 2014
The state’s Environmental Facilities Corp. said today it will loan up to $511 million to the new Tappan Zee Bridge project, a move that will help with the financing of the $3.9 billion project.It’s the latest effort by the state to fund the bridge and limit toll increases when the new 3-mile span across the Hudson River is completed in 2018.“As we continue to see progress on the New NY Bridge, it is essential that actions are taken to protect wildlife and address the project’s environmental impacts – but in a way that doesn’t overburden taxpayers and drivers,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement obtained by Gannett.
The loan, which is financed through federal aid, will be used for environmental protection and Hudson River restoration projects related to the bridge’s construction. The projects include protecting water quality and marine life in the Hudson River estuary, including endangered sturgeon, oyster beds and other habitats.The loan comes through the EFC’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. State officials said it won’t impact other projects.It’s the newest loan for the project. The largest loan, $1.6 billion, was announced last year by the federal Department of Transportation.
With the low-interest loans, state officials said it will help keep tolls down on the new bridge, which is being financed through the state Thruway Authority. The round-trip toll on the current bridge is $5, but there have been concerns that it could go as high as $14 on the new bridge.The Thruway Authority will need to approve the loan and is expected to start using it in August, state officials said.The Environmental Facilities Corp. is the financing arm for the state to provide low-interest loans to local governments and agencies for drinking water, wastewater infrastructure and other clean-water projects.Last year, EFC financed close to $2 billion in clean-water investments statewide, a news release from Cuomo’s office said.
Obama, at Tappan Zee Bridge, pushes transportation funding
May 15, 2014 by
The president will seek to rally support for more federal dollars for highway and bridge improvements.
TARRYTOWN – With the new Tappan Zee Bridge taking shape behind him, President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged Congress to inject billions of dollars in the nation’s transportation infrastructure to keep Americans working and encourage businesses to stay.
During his first visit to Westchester as president, Obama praised the progress on the new $3.9 billion crossing, which is replacing the 58-year-old crumbling structure.
“It carries a lot more traffic than when it was built back in 1955,” Obama said under sunny skies at Sunset Cove, a restaurant at the Washington Irving Boat Club. “At times, you can see the river through the cracks in the pavement. Now, I’m not an engineer, but I figure that’s not good.”
Highlights from President Obama’s speech on the country’s infrastructure at near the Tappan Zee Bridge in Tarrytown. (Video by Peter Carr/The Journal News)
He noted the new Tappan Zee will be the first new bridge in New York in 50 years and announced the federal government plans to apply the same “fast track” process to 11 other infrastructure projects, including Boston’s South Station and light rail around Seattle.
“Normally it would have taken three to five years to permit this bridge,” Obama said during his 10-minute speech. “We did it in a year and a half.”
With the Tappan Zee Bridge as a backdrop, President Barack Obama speaks from the Washington Irving Boat Club in Tarrytown May 14, 2014. The President spoke about the need for Congress to fund road and bridge improvements across the nation. (Photo: Seth Harrison/The Journal News)
He also called out congressional Republicans for blocking funding that would pay for modern highways, bridges and seaports.”We’ve got more than 100,000 bridges that are old enough to qualify for Medicare,” Obama said.Officials have warned that funding in the federal Highway Trust Fund is set to run out by the fall, which would put 112,000 active road and bridge projects and 5,600 transit projects at risk, along with nearly 700,000 jobs.”That’s like the population of Tampa and St. Louis combined,” the president said, citing the jobs figure.
“So far at least Republicans who run this Congress seem to have a different priority,” Obama said. “Rebuilding America — that shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
Obama emphasized that “there is work to be done.”
“So the bottom line, Tarrytown, is America doesn’t stand still. … So I’m going to keep on fighting alongside all of you to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to rebuild America – not just rebuild one bridge, but I want us to rebuild every bridge. I don’t want us to just rebuild one school, I want us to rebuild every school that needs help.”
His administration in late 2011 named replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge, which carries 138,000 vehicles a day, a top infrastructure priority. The process moved quickly from there, with environmental reviews fast-tracked and in 2013, the New York State Thruway Authority received a record $1.6 billion federal loan.
Under New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the state approved a process that allows infrastructure project to be designed while construction begins.
Cuomo, who introduced the president, has been praised for reviving the project, which had been stagnating for nearly a decade. It’s now in its second year of construction with completion projected for 2018.
With preparations in place for President Obama’s visit to the TZ Bridge construction site, minority construction workers protest about being shut out of major construction projects. (Video by Joe Larese/ The Journal News)
“We are the state of the bold. We are the state of the daring,” Cuomo said. “We are the state of performance. We are the state of skyscrapers, intricate transit systems. We are the state of public works that challenge the imagination.”
Also in attendance, seated to the back, was Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, the Republican who is planning to challenge Cuomo this fall. He criticized the governor before the speech for not discussing the cost of future tolls.
“The public has a right to know before the election,” Astorino said. “They know what it’s going to be. They promised last year we would have answers.”
Astorino accused the governor’s staff of refusing to allow him to sit in the front. Cuomo’s office, however, denied it meddled with the seating chart. An official who attended the speech said Astorino spent more than an hour talking with reporters and that by the time he tried to claim a seat, the choice ones were taken.
But all eyes were on the president who wore a crisp dark suit and dark blue tie against a background of construction equipment and steel piles. Obama joked and shook hands with many of the 250 people who were invited to attend, including elected officials, construction workers and residents.
Chris Junge of Tarrytown brought his two children, Tucker, 8, and Cassie, 6. The family walked from home to the event.
“It was exciting to be that close. It was personal,” Junge said. “It was a long day for them but I think they will remember it.”
Arriving at John F. Kennedy International, Obama flew aboard Marine One to Tarrytown. He traveled by motorcade the short distance to the marina. Less than 30 minutes after he arrived, Obama was back off to New York City to attend two Democratic party fundraisers in the evening.
Reporter Brian Tumulty contributed to this story.
Twitter: @ksaeed1
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/tappan-zee-bridge/2014/05/14/obamas-tappan-zee-bridge-speech-set-mid-afternoon/9080115/
Tappan Zee Bridge contracts ensure ‘disadvantaged’ aren’t left out
April 17, 2014 by
tjuva@lohud.com11:22 p.m. EDT April 16, 2014
The Tappan Zee Bridge project has been a dream opportunity for small, budding businesses. And companies headed by women and ethnic and racial minorities are getting their own chances to score work on the $3.9 billion bridge replacement project, through a government effort to give a boost to certain groups that have historically been excluded from business opportunities.
The New York State Thruway Authority and bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors is setting aside $314 million — 10 percent of the bridge construction cost — for companies certified as “disadvantaged business enterprises” by the federal government. Because the federal government is providing a low-interest loan to help pay for the Tappan Zee replacement, it requires that such companies are included. Brian Conybeare, special adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on the project, said the project team has made a big effort to ensure those firms are included, “which will help them prosper, grow their businesses and employ more local workers.” So far, 60 certified DBEs have contributed to the project, totaling $49.7 million in subcontracts.
Here are some of their stories.
From ironworker to business owner, Mike Aponte can still vividly recall his first day as an ironworker nearly 30 years ago. Aponte, now 48, was assigned to get coffee for crews building a high-rise on Wall Street.
“Never been up that high — I was shaking in my boots, but I didn’t show it to the men. That was some experience,” Aponte recalled.After working his way up from an ironworker to a foreman to a project supervisor, seven years ago Aponte became the president of his own steel construction company, Tyrek Heights Erectors Inc., a certified DBE based in Yonkers.”In general there has been the misconception that you can’t find a qualified a DBE — that’s not true,” he said. “There are many that are capable and put out quality work. We are not taking advantage of it. We actually perform. We know what we are doing.”So far, his company has done steel work at the TZC office on the Hudson Harbor property in Tarrytown. The firm has also removed and installed steel at the West Nyack building where the state police and Thruway Authority facilities will be temporarily relocated during bridge construction.
Still, Aponte has his sights set on the new structure”I would love to be part of the team that is going to erect and build the bridge,” he said. “To say one day to my grandkids, ‘I was part of this bridge,’ would be great.”
In the business of construction, Mahopac native Leigh Scirbona has never been daunted by working in a male-dominated industry. In her 20s, she began working for a highway construction company, reviewing contracts and handling project documents. For the last 25 years, Scirbona, now 56, has headed her own general contracting and concrete company, Advanced Contracting Concepts. The company has done work for the Walkway Over the Hudson project, Westchester and state parks and the New York State Bridge Authority. “I still have people who call me and say, ‘Honey, let me speak to your boss,’ ” she said. “It is still entertaining when they do that.” Last year, she expanded the company to construction administrative support services and landed work on the Tappan Zee project. “A little over a year later, I’m on one of the largest design-build projects in the United States and one of the largest projects in New York state,” she said. “It’s been terrific.”
When TZC officials called her last year about finding them an office receptionist, Scirbona quickly responded. Not wanting to lose the chance, she worked the job herself for a week until she found someone permanent for the position. Scirbona has six employees as part of the Tappan Zee team, including the project’s documents control manager and a senior administrative assistant, and she hopes to keep expanding the list.The DBE program is critical to ensure all kinds of business owners are included in major infrastructure projects, she said.
“It doesn’t make us less qualified, less intelligent, less capable,” she said. “Without this program, smaller contractors wouldn’t get looked at.”
Husband and wife
Cynthia and John Behan share a business, but Cynthia is the one in charge “She really is the boss,” said her husband, co-owner of Behan Planning and Design, a landscape architecture and project planing firm and certified DBE. “She makes all the financial decisions. She makes all the hiring decisions. My role is now securing new work.” Such as the Tappan Zee project. The Behans’ firm, based in Saratoga Springs with a location in New City, has a subcontract with a public relations group hired by TZC. So far, the Behans’ company has helped organize Tappan Zee community outreach meetings and create public newsletters and presentations.
“To have this project that’s running steady for a while, it’s stabilizing for us,” said Cynthia Behan, 58, a landscape architect who also worked on the New City streetscape revitalization. John Behan, also 58, said his wife’s design knowledge is especially helpful when they are asked to put together presentations. “When we get technical documents from the engineers, she can understand the engineer drawings and help present them to the public,” he said. While their Rockland location only has one employee, the couple hopes more work on the project will allow them to hire a second one later this year.
How is a “disadvantaged business enterprise” defined?
The small company must be 51 percent owned by one or more “socially and economically disadvantaged” individuals, which are women and racial and ethnic minority groups.
Business revenue and the owner’s personal net worth are used to determine whether a company qualifies. Government officials conduct personal interviews, business visits and reviews of license and financial records before a firm is certified.
Source: New York State Thruway/U.S. Department of Transportation
TZB firms by the numbers
A total of 135 companies have worked on the project so far, totaling $432 million in subcontracts.
Of those, 60 are considered DBEs, with those subcontracts totaling $49.7 million.
$314 million has been set aside for DBEs
Source: Tappan Zee Constructors
In Progress: Tappan Zee crews work around the clock to install piles
March 4, 2014 by
A short reprieve from bad weather in the last week has finally allowed Tappan Zee Bridge construction crews to resume work on the Hudson River.
LoHud By Theresa Juva-Brown11:26 p.m. EST March 3, 2014
A short reprieve from bad weather in the last week has finally allowed Tappan Zee Bridge construction crews to resume work on the Hudson River.
Not only are they back to work, but crews are toiling away around the clock to install giant steel piles that will help support the new crossing. The pile
s are being installed in two segments and then welded together.
The pile welders, members of the local dockbuilders union, are working six days a week in two 12-hour shifts. As the work progresses, a third shift will be added, with each team of welders working eight-hour shifts six days a week, project leaders say.
Over the next year, leaders have said they hope to have 1,000 piles installed in the river. Crews are currently working on a batch of 90 piles.
In other Tappan Zee Bridge project news this week:
• The project’s 31-member mass transit task force delivered its final report on Friday, after more than a year of meetings. The Thruway Authority formed the panel in 2012 to study and make recommendations for mass transit improvements on Interstate 287.
• The panel has proposed expanding the existing Tappan ZEExpress bus service and a creating a “bus rapid transit” system with seven routes in Westchester and Rockland. The ambitious plan calls for a series of new stations, modern vehicles, and dedicated bus lanes in some places.
• The report did not include cost estimates or specific ways to pay for such a system. Still, top state transportation leaders said they are committed to having the system in place by the time the new Tappan Zee is completed in 2018.
TZ Task Force Nears Final Meeting
February 26, 2014 by
For the past year, the Tappan Zee Bridge Mass Transit Task Force has been
developing recommendations for services on the new bridge.
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM – 02/26/14
TARRYTOWN — The Tappan Zee Bridge Mass Transit Task Force will hold its final meeting Friday and release the short-, mid- and long-term recommendations that its 31 members have developed over the past year.
The recommendations, contained in a 26-page executive summary, offer no surprises and no guarantees that any of them will ever be implemented. The summary will be followed next month with a report that details the actions that Rockland and Westchester counties could take to advance the short-term recommendations for new express bus routes as well as estimates of potential costs.
The task force has never identified a source of funding for transit improvements, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s staff has forcefully steered members away from any suggestions with hefty price tags on the grounds that it can’t afford a new bus rapid transit or commuter rail system and a new $3.9 billion bridge.
Recommendations
The Tappan Zee Bridge Mass Transit Task Force will formally present the recommendations that have been developed over the past year Friday. They include:
Short-term (between now and the new bridge’s completion in 2018)
• Modify existing bus service in Rockland and Westchester to create seven express routes between Suffern and Nanuet and Tarrytown, White Plains and Yonkers, and between White Plains and Tarrytown, Port Chester, Valhalla and The Bronx.
• Install technology that manages traffic flow through ramp metering, signal prioritization and queue jumping, as well as a bus-only lane on the new bridge, to improve travel times.
• Use specially designed buses to differentiate the new service from existing services, and adopt a common fare structure.
• Advance studies of a transit hub in White Plains, reconstruction of the Thruway’s Interchange 10 in South Nyack and construction of a new Thruway interchange at Route 59 in Monsey. Mid-term (up to 15 years after the new bridge’s completion)
• Create a White Plains transit hub around the train station.
• Reconstruct Interchange 11.
• Construct a bus station in the Thruway median and a pedestrian bridge from the Palisades Center.
• Make improvements to Rockland train service on the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines. Long-term (more than 15 years after the new bridge’s completion)
• Pursue revival of passenger rail service on the now freight-only West Shore line in Rockland.
• Consider development of Rockland-to-Westchester commuter rail or light rail.
“We’re not getting a 21st century bridge if we’re not getting mass transit,” said Nancy Proyect, president of the Orange County Citizens Foundation. “We’re not really doing BRT; we’re doing express buses. It’s not a 21st century solution for a 21st century bridge or a 21st century state.”
Proyect, who has advocated for new transit services in the Tappan Zee corridor over the past decade and attended many of the task force’s meetings, predicted the state and the region will come to regret this failure to fund significant improvements in conjunction with the new bridge’s construction.
Before Gov. Cuomo took office and fast-tracked the TZB’s replacement, the state had been pursuing a true BRT system with dedicated travel lanes and stations across the two counties that buses from Orange County could have used. But Cuomo eliminated transit elements from the project, citing high costs and ample opportunity for adding services in the future to what would be a “transit-ready” bridge.
Rockland and Westchester counties then forced Cuomo to form the task force to keep the prospect of transit improvements alive in exchange for their support of the new bridge.
The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Tarrytown Senior Center at 240 W. Main St., on the village’s waterfront.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140226/BIZ/402260341/-1/NEWSLETTER100
Port Expected in Newburgh NY
January 31, 2014 by
By James Walsh
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM – 01/31/14
CITY OF NEWBURGH — A riverfront company aims to build a port on the Hudson from which it can transport decking for the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
Officials of Steelways Inc. and the city will join federal and state officials Friday morning to announce the effort, which Steelways spokeswoman Susan Sullivan said could bring 150 jobs over three years.
Mayor Judy Kennedy and Councilwoman Genie Abrams declined to discuss details of the plan in advance of Friday’s announcement, though both spoke glowingly — in general terms, anyway — of its potential. Among the expected attendees are Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, state Sen. William Larkin, R-C-Cornwall-on-Hudson, and Assemblyman Frank Skartados, D-Milton.
“This project has such potential,” Kennedy said. “It can truly change the economics of Newburgh.: Abrams said: “It will be very good news for the people of Newburgh, the kind of news we haven’t heard in 50 years.”
Sullivan said the company will bid on Friday to supply precast concrete decking for the new Tappan Zee Bridge. The contract will likely be awarded within a few weeks. Steelways can begin work on the port in April and complete the project by late summer. The company’s website says its 60 waterfront acres already include a shipyard with three sheltered harbors.
It has concrete marine launchways capable of accommodating vessels up to 300 feet long and 125 feet wide, and a marine railway capable of hauling 500-ton vessels. The main shipping channel runs adjacent to Steelways’ main pier, according to the site.
A resolution adopted Monday by the City Council expressed its “conceptual support of the Port of Newburgh project,” saying it will boost Newburgh’s economy by creating high-paying jobs and providing job-training opportunities for city residents.
Thomas Wright, a co-owner of Atlas Industries, a furniture designer and maker in the city, said who gets the potential jobs is important. “Jobs are great, but where do the people eat and live?” Wright said. “Are they people from Middletown driving to a parking lot, or people in Newburgh walking from their home in the city?”
Newburgh was once such a busy port that it had its own U.S. Customs office. Sailing ships were built at the waterfront in the 18th century. Navy ships were docked in Newburgh for repairs and reconstruction during World War II, said Mary McTamaney, the city’s historian. The Newburgh waterfront was where farmers brought their produce for shipping to New York City and beyond. “We were a transportation city,” McTamaney said. “We brought the goods of Orange County and the region to market, mostly downriver.”
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140131/NEWS/401310366
Super Crane Clears the Panama Canal
January 20, 2014 by
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
GIANT FLOATING CRANE PREPARES FOR PASSAGE THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL, EN ROUTE TO NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT
January 12, 2014 by
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
Inaugural Newsletter of the New NY Bridge
November 19, 2013 by
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
November 18, 2013 by
Project Update
For immediate release: November 15, 2013
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
November 13, 2013 by
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
November 11, 2013 by
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
November 1, 2013 by
A Big Loan for a Big Project
New City Patch, Posted by Lanning Taliaferro (Editor) ,
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.”
New Tappan Zee Bridge spurs interest in nearby commercial parcels; Vacant commercial sites now sold, leased
October 15, 2013 by
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
TZC CREWS SAVES UNMOORED BOATS
October 5, 2013 by
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
October 2, 2013 by
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
September 28, 2013 by
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
DREDGING OPERATIONS AND TEST PILE PROGRAM IMPACT PILE DRIVING CONTINUE
August 9, 2013 by
For immediate release: August 9, 2013
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
August 3, 2013 by
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.
ONGOING PRECONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES CONTINUE ON THE NEW NY BRIDGE PROJECT
July 6, 2013 by
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.
Residents will vote on Tappan Zee Bridge noise barriers
June 28, 2013 by
LoHud June 27, 2013 Written By Khurrum Saeed
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306270071
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.
Tappan Zee Bridge: Feds, state assure South Nyack of toll removal
June 17, 2013 by
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
June 17, 2013 by
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
June 8, 2013 by
LoHud Jun 8, 2013 Written By Khurram Saeed
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
June 8, 2013 by
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.
Excitement grows among Tappan Zee Bridge workers
May 6, 2013 by
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?”