Politics & Government
No-Boater Zone in Effect Near Tappan Zee Bridge Construction Barges
Boaters along the Hudson River are receiving fliers that show the new safety zone near the Tappan Zee Bridge rebuilding project.
An area about two miles long near the anchored Tappan Zee Bridge construction barges along the Hudson River is now off-limits to boaters, according media reports.
The new safety zone is marked by buoys along an area near the Rockland shoreline, and it is different than the previously approved "regulated navigation area" the Coast Guard set up nearby, writes reporter Theresa Juva-Brown in The Journal News.
"The Coast Guard created this safety zone in order to protect the boating public," Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe told The Journal News. "Construction at the Tappan Zee Bridge is reaching a period of increasingly intense activity with more equipment and construction personnel on the water, including more work barges that will be moored overnight."
Fliers that show the designated safety zone are being distributed to boaters along the river, according to Westchester News 12.
CBSNewYork reported that before the July 4th weekend, police patrols were stepped up around the bridge and construction zone for additional safety.
A year ago this month, Nyack resident JoJo John crashed a speedboat into the bridge construction area with tragic consequences.
The accident killed two friends, Lindsey Stewart of Piermont and Mark Lennon of Pearl River, and injured John and three others. John recently pleaded guilty to two counts of Vehicular Manslaughter in the 2nd degree.
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