President Barack Obama has announced that the replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge has been selected as one of 14 projects that will get a fast track review at the federal level.
Obama launched a competition for states to submit their high priority, job-creating projects in order to win expedited federal approvals, and New York submitted the Tappan Zee project. With an expedited federal review of the Environmental Impact Statement and the processing of permits, the Tappan Zee project could begin as early as next year, potentially creating more jobs than any other infrastructure project in the country, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“The Tappan Zee Bridge is a vital part of our state and region’s infrastructure,” Cuomo said. “The Tappan Zee Bridge project improves a key component of our state and nation’s infrastructure, and at the same time puts tens of thousands of New Yorkers back to work.”
In a press release reacting to the news, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Harrison), said, “I am pleased the Tappan Zee Bridge is one of 14 high-priority projects that will benefit from expedited permitting and environmental review, which will help to begin construction of a new bridge soon. Reconstruction of the Tappan Zee—which is critical for commuters and travelers—will accelerate local job creation while maintaining and improving a critical link in our region’s transportation network."
The project, including necessary changes to the New York State Thruway in Westchester and Rockland counties, is expected to cost more than $16 billion.
“I urge the federal government to expedite approval for this important project which will create tens of thousands of jobs,” said state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. “Major investments in infrastructure are exactly what New York needs to jump-start our economy and restore safety to heavily traveled bridges and other arteries. I commend Governor Cuomo and Senator Fuschillo, the Chairman of the Senate's Transportation Committee, for their leadership on this critical project.”
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said that with support from the federal government, New York will be able to begin work on the Tappan Zee Bridge, ensuring this critical part of the Northeast’s infrastructure remains safe and reliable.
“Investments of this size have the potential to transform the region’s economy, create jobs, and renew confidence in our state’s economic revitalization,” Silver said. “Governor Cuomo has shown true leadership in rebuilding New York’s economy and I look forward to continuing to work together on critical infrastructure projects and creating jobs in our state.”
About 135,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily with upwards of 160,000 vehicles on some weekends, with a total of approximately 45 million vehicles in 2010.
Over the last 20 years, the Tappan Zee has shown significant deterioration, according to state officials, who note that with seven narrow lanes and no safety shoulders, the Tappan Zee has an accident rate double the rest of the New York Thruway system. The bridge is also vulnerable to severe storms, ship collisions and earthquakes.
A final design for the bridge and its connections has not yet been selected, with the scope of the project varying depending on whether a rail transportation component is included.
Knowing that this bridge has needed replacement for about 10 years, I bet the Thruway Authority's been socking away the cash to pay for it all, NOT.
I kinda view this as a hose attached to a water tower. In this case, the water tower is dry and nothing coming out the end of the hose. Of course, without water coming out of the hose, you can't sustain life. We then fill up the water tower with water and water starts coming out the end of the hose again. Life can now be sustained and everything is good. However, unless you put something in place to replenish the water, sooner or later the water runs dry in the tower and nothing comes out the end of the hose and everything dies again.So in the end, did you really create anything? No and to make claims that you did is false. Again, I am not saying the replacement project is bad. I simply would call it stimulus as opposed to Job Creation. Just a matter of semantics.
I'm a senior citizen and would be more then happy to purchase this Senior Lady's unit I won't mind the noise knowing that in 5-ten yrs the noise will cease and the property values will increase. Math and figures are a wonderful tool?
Unfortunately, certain terms have been co-opted by the far right, which makes it hard to have a rational discussion. Use the word "stimulus" and you'll have someone ranting about how the last stimulus didn't work. (That's in part because the ARRA was intended for more than just job creation and in part because no one knew how severe the 2008 recession was until the revised numbers came out recently.) Likewise, the GOP have renamed the wealthy to "job creators", for example, even though many of them don't create jobs, not to mention that there are many non-wealthy people who do create jobs. So I wish it were only semantics. It should be.
Look what happens when they do speed things up. They get trashed. Not exactly motivating.
We have had enough people commit suicide from the present bridge and it doesn't allow pedestrian or bicycle traffic now. A train track YES, pedestrians and bicycles, NO.
I don't buy the suicide issue... that's true for all bridges whether you can walk or bike or not.