Bridge Barges Arriving Soon; Transit Talks

“It’s beginning to become real,” said Tarrytown’s liaison to the bridge rebuild, David Aukland.

This morning the mass transit task force, tasked with helping to connect the new Tappan Zee Bridge to its surrounding transit systems, is meeting in the Tarrytown Senior Center.

It's a large group filling out a U of tables with Thruway Executive Director Tom Madison at the head, Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino, Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell and others, gathered for an extensive three-hour meeting.

On the agenda: presentations on the history of I-87 "corridor" studies, discussion, narrowing potential transit solutions, the creation of a funding subcommittee, and ending with a public comment period.

On the water we will soon see, as early as a week from now, multiple barges starting to position themselves along the bridge to begin preliminary work.

Following this morning's marathon, Aukland has a meeting between the Tappan Zee Constructors and the Village to settle on locations for noise monitors.

Even the fire department has been gearing up for the reality of the bridge rebuild to come. Anticipating work accidents, Chief Eugene Gasparre, only weeks away from the end of his year-long tenure in April, said firefighters have been training diligently for special operation rescues and upgrading their heavy equipment.

Before the meeting, Aukland and Fixell were discussing some interesting ideas. With the potential of toll plazas being no more, Aukland foresees the room on bridge-end to have a bus stop.

“I'd see a spot where a bus could pull onto an enlarged shoulder from the left lane, to let riders off to a protected exit or pick up new passengers," Aukland said. "No one has proposed details yet, but with the tolls gone there would be enough space to do a few interesting things safely.”

Aukland also suggested a "travelator," or moving walkway that can make curves or turn into escalators for slopes, what you might see at an airport. "There are several in the Paris RER/Metro to speed transfers, and they do work," he said. "They could run from bus stops on the bridge to new or existing Metro North platforms."

Stay tuned for updates as we watch this bridge and its complicated connections begin to take shape.

“The clock is winding down and there’s only so many meetings we have to work with,” Madison said, explaining how the large group had to focus its options and push finance talks earlier on the timeline. “Ultimately we have to have a solution that’s affordable.”