[NYguy]

http://www.lohud.com/article/2013020...%7Ctext%7CNews

Tappan Zee Bridge traffic shifts to new span in 2016





Feb 4, 2013

Residents have long known that the Tappan Zee Bridge’s days were numbered, but now they know exactly how long it has left: three years.

In 2016, all traffic from the creaky, often congested bridge that will be entering its sixth decade by then will be shifted to one of the two spans that will replace it. The old bridge will be demolished so construction of the second span can be completed. The southern span is projected to open in 2018.

Brian Conybeare, a special adviser on the project, provided the update Monday night as part of a broad timeline for construction of the new Tappan Zee. The meeting also marked the first formal introduction of officials from Tappan Zee Constructors, the joint venture that secured a $3.1 billion state contract last month to design and build the replacement crossing.

“The clock is now ticking,” Conybeare told the 120 people in attendance at the Westchester Marriott. “They are ready to take action.”


Tappan Zee Constructors is made up of four primary partners: Fluor Enterprises, American Bridge Co., Tarrytown-based Granite Construction Northeast Inc. and Traylor Bros. Inc. “We’ve been working as a team on this project for over a year now,” TZC project manager and Vice President Walter Reichert said. “We’ve gone through eight or 10 versions of this to try to get the most economical, best, most long-lasting bridge that we could come up with.”

Officials outlined some of the work that residents will see this year. In all, construction is expected to last just under five years and three months. In March, staging areas will be established underneath the bridge and soil samples will begin to be collected from the bottom of the Hudson River. Test piles will be installed in the middle of the river in June, but Conybeare said the work won’t be as loud as what residents heard last spring. Dredging will follow after Aug. 1, which marks the three-month window the state has by law to do the work in the shallow waters.

TZC expects to dig up 951,000 cubic yards of riverbed to make room for construction barges and heavy equipment. The two spans will be built side by side starting in the middle of the Hudson and work their way toward land on either shore.