U.S. Says It Will Expedite Approval to Replace Deteriorating Tappan Zee Bridge
By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY
Published: October 11, 2011
The Tappan Zee Bridge, long overdue for an overhaul, was one of 14 projects chosen on Tuesday by the Obama administration for expedited federal review and approval — possibly allowing work on a new bridge to begin as early as the spring of 2013.
The bridge, which was built in the 1950s, has cost the state $100 million a year in repairs and $83 million in studies about how to replace or fix it, said the Westchester County executive, Robert P. Astorino. When he took a boat tour beneath the bridge with other elected officials in July, Mr. Astorino said, the paint was peeling, there was rust on its joints and spans, and netting covered up much of its underbelly.
Mr. Astorino feared that if the bridge were not repaired or replaced, it could one day simply be shut down — forcing drivers, who make about 170,000 crossings each day, to find alternatives.
“This is a major economic artery for the entire region,” he said...
Mr. Porcari estimated that the bridge’s construction would create 33,000 “job years.” (A job year means one job for one year; a single job that lasts for two years is given credit for two job years.)"
NYTimes
To anyone not familiar with the bridge, it is really in pretty brutal shape. It's nice to see that this much needed project may finalllyyyyy be moving forward.