Traffic Update thru Jan 4th to Ease Holiday Travels

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
Following the removal of sections of deck of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge to make way for the new bridge, the associated supporting piers are being demolished. The majority of this work, which will clear the path for the northbound bridge’s landing and first foundation pier, will be completed during daytime hours.

Pile Driving and Other Construction Activity
Construction will continue in the Hudson River as crews place the foundations of the new bridge. Work will include pile driving from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and noon to 7 p.m., Saturday. No pile driving will occur on New Year’s Day, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. Operations will resume on Friday, Jan. 2, 2015 at 7 a.m.

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:

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

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

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

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

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