Source: traceyroad.com
Below is an image of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge across the widest segment of the Hudson River (more than 3 miles wide) between suburban Westchester and Rockland Counties. It was completed in 1955. Underneath that photo is an artist’s rendering of the new twin Tappan Zee bridges which are under construction adjacent to the original structure. They are scheduled to open in 2016.
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- Current (1955) Tappan Zee Bridge
Source: nytimes.com
- New (2016) Tappan Zee Bridge which is under construction
Source: nytimes.com
problogic
Panethos 
Love the blog, hate the style of the bridge. I can’t help but be reminded of a Honda logo- granted, I know it’s the angle of the rendering- but still, it may not be replacing an architectural beaut by any means, but they could have given this more thought.
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Thank you for the compliment. I agree that the bridge in the rendering lacks flair.
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Seems like that style/type of bridge planned for the new Tappan Zee Bridge is becoming a little common…folks are seeing it everywhere from Tampa, FL (Sunshine Skyway) to San Francisco, CA (the Oakland-Bay Bridge).
More critical to this observer (and NY native) is the failure to take advantage of a once-in-a generation opportunity to include major transit facilities. Not saying the bridge has to include those facilities in its initial construction, but that it should be designed to be capable of handling transit at some future point in time. Otherwise, transit crossing the Hudson River will continue to depend upon the Hudson and Penn-Central tubes, or the Poughkeepsie (?) and Selkirk bridge crossings. Hard to believe NY would be so short-sighted in the 21st century.
For an example of what results from such a short-sighted attitude one only has to look to Miami-Dade County; their reluctance to design the new MacArthur Causeway replacement bridge with a future capacity for rapid transit has resulted in the region’s inability to extend its Metrorail system county across Biscayne Bay. This constrains access from the City of Miami Beach and its tourism, cultural, economic and employment communities.
I cannot accept the rationale that the expense of additional costs is a valid reason to omit bridge’s capacity for transit in its structural design. Engineering and construction costs rarely if ever decline. So not including them at this point just assures a much greater future cost. In essence, we are penalizing future generations for our unwillingness to make the investment today.
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I couldn’t agree more. It would also be nice if some sort of pedestrian/bicycle lane was included for active transportation commuters.
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The original bridge design that went through LOTS of public outreach included transit but that got axed out-of-hand by the powers that be. I’m surprised there wasn’t a law suit over it.
BTW, my understanding is that there is a bike/ped lane planed for the bridge. Last I read about the bridge it was in the plans. The next closest bike/ped bridge crossing are over 40 miles away at Poughkeepsie to the north and 20 miles at the George Washington Bridge to the south.
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Thank you for the information! Great to hear about the bike/pedestrian element. Too bad about rail.
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Thanks and I apologize for the sermon. I know there’s only so much planners and designers can do on these matters. I just get frustrated at times when we realize the price we pay for being short sighted. But I am glad to see a bike/pedestrian element incorporated in the design… although it seems to be a pretty long walk (great view of the Hudson River Gorge, however)!
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No problem- I agree the view Will be terrific.
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Yes, but it will be a critical connection for cyclists. After cycling up to Nyack from Fort Lee, NJ I looked at the bridge at wished I could get to the other side.
Plus, like Walkway Over the Hudson up in Poughkeepsie, I wouldn’t be surprised if the bridge becomes a walking / jogging destination. There is a bridge down in Charleston SC that the East Coast Greenway goes over that is VERY popular for just that. They had to fight with the SC DOT to add the bike/ped lane ther
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Stupid computer wouldn’t display the bottom of my post in the editor. Continuing, they had to fight with the SC DOT to add the bike/ped lane but now it’s held up as a model of why bike/ped ammenities should ALWAYS be added to bridges where there are not other convenient alternatives (i.e. a nearby bridge).
BTW, I liked the sermon Mitchell. Informative!
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