53°
Community residents will hear about the bridge plan on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown and Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Nyack High School in Upper Nyack.
Representatives from Tappan Zee Constructors, the design-build team; the Thruway Authority; and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office will present the bridge design and answer questions from residents.
“The only way a project of this magnitude can be successful is if everyone involved has their voice heard,” Cuomo said in a statement. “These meetings will be an incredibly useful tool in achieving this goal, for both the design-build team and the general public.”
Bridge plans include building two parallel structures about 300 feet north of the existing bridge. Each span will have four lanes of traffic, emergency lanes and shoulders. A pedestrian and bike path will be on the northern span.
The bridge will cost an estimated $3.1 billion, with construction beginning in 2013. There will not be a mass-transit system in place when the bridge opens, although a task force has been created to look into the issue throughout 2013.
The Thruway Authoriy has not yet released a financial plan to pay for the bridge, although officials have said they will look at tolls, selling bonds and a federal transportation loan.
“From the inception of this project, one of our key directives has been for all involved to make the design-build process as transparent as possible,” Chairperson Howard Milstein said. “These meetings, along with other initiatives like the Visual Quality Panel, will ensure that the voices of those most affected by this project will be heard.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Tarrytown-SleepyHollow and receive free news updates.
