All Lanes Will Reopen to Traffic at 5:30PM Today
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that all seven lanes on the Tappan Zee Bridge will open to traffic just days following a crane collapse which blocked all northbound and southbound lanes on the bridge. At Governor Cuomo’s direction, in order to minimize impacts to motorists during peak travel periods, expedited repairs were performed around the clock with roadway repairs conducted overnight Thursday into Saturday.
“The Tappan Zee Bridge is a vital part of the state and region’s transportation network and crews have been working around the clock to fix the damage from Tuesday’s crane collapse,” Governor Cuomo said. “Hundreds of thousands of commuters rely on the bridge each day, so our priority has been expediting the repairs and getting back to full capacity. I am grateful to all of the men and women who have worked tirelessly all week to get the job done.”
The crane that collapsed, a Manitowac Cranes model MLC 300 or a lattice boom crawling crane, was used to drive piles into the riverbed of the Hudson River for the construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. The crane collapsed on Tuesday, July 19 at around noon and did not hit any vehicles on the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. The rapid response by a multi-agency effort, including the State Police and Thruway Authority allowed the structural safety of the bridge to be confirmed by expert bridge inspectors within just hours of the collapse.
Thruway Authority Acting Executive Director Bill Finch said, “As a result of Governor Cuomo’s commitment to the motorists using our system every day, we have been able to reopen all lanes on the Tappan Zee Bridge less than one week after the crane collapse. Providing travelers with a safe, reliable highway remains the Thruway Authority’s highest priority, and I applaud the dedicated Thruway and TZC crews who worked around the clock to repair the damage and make sure the bridge was safe for the tens of thousands of motorists that cross it every day.”
The Tappan Zee Bridge is a critical transportation artery that more than 140,000 motorists use every day, and this expedited repair ensured that their commutes were not disrupted for longer than necessary. The typical lane configuration will now resume with four lanes open in the peak direction and three lanes open in the non-peak direction. Motorists are encouraged to keep their eyes on the road at all times and avoid rubbernecking.
The investigation into the cause of the crane collapse is ongoing.
