To help travelers reach their holiday destinations, the New York State Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC will pause certain New NY Bridge construction activities, enabling all lanes to remain open from 6 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 25 through 6 a.m., Monday, Nov. 30.
The five-day suspension of lane closures is in keeping with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s “Drivers First” initiative, which gives priority to motorists by ensuring that disruptions associated with highway and bridge projects are kept as minimal as possible.
All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland will continue near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to southbound New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287). The work will necessitate closing the on-ramp during the overnights of Monday, Nov. 30 and Tuesday, Dec. 1. Drivers will be directed to use the on-ramp from Route 59 in Nyack, as shown in the graphic below.
| DATE: | CLOSURES BEGIN: | CLOSURES END: | LOCATION: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., 11/30 | 9 p.m. – Ramp closure | 5 a.m., Tues., 12/1 | Southbound I-87/I-287 exit 10 on-ramp |
| Mon., 11/30 | 9 p.m. – One right lane | 4:30 a.m., Tues., 12/1 | Southbound from exit 11 to exit 10 |
| Tues., 12/1 | 9 p.m. – Ramp closure | 5 a.m., Wed., 12/2 | Southbound exit 10 on-ramp |
| Tues., 12/1 | 9 p.m. – One left lane | 4:30 a.m., Wed., 12/2 | Southbound from exit 11 to exit 10 |
Steel Girder Installation
Next week, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will continue installing structural steel girder assemblies from the new bridge’s Westchester landing in Tarrytown. The assemblies will connect the future westbound span’s on-land abutment to the first offshore support pier in the Hudson River. TZC is installing the girders by literally pushing them west over the Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line’s tracks toward the first pier in the river, as seen in this animation. As the operation progresses, additional girders are being connected to the assembly and pushed farther westward. TZC is closely coordinating the effort with Metro-North Railroad, ensuring that the operation maximizes safety for both workers and the public and minimizes impacts to rail service.
The remaining work over the Metro-North tracks will occur during a Friday overnight in December, with the entire operation anticipated to conclude by the end of the year. Metro-North has adjusted its schedule slightly to allow the work to be completed. TZC will suspend construction activities when commuter trains pass through the area, resuming when given the “all clear” instruction by Metro-North.
Across the river, TZC has completed steel girder installation for the westbound bridge at the Rockland shoreline, connecting the new bridge’s abutment to already-installed support structures in the Hudson River.
The I Lift NY super crane will continue placing larger girder assemblies across the river, averaging two placements a week. A total of 31 miles of steel girders cumulatively weighing more than 100,000 tons will be installed for the new twin-span bridge.
Tower Construction
Construction will continue on the new bridge’s iconic towers, which will eventually rise 419 feet above the river. Innovative self-climbing jump forms enable TZC workers to build the towers in segments that progressively “jump” up from the foundations to their full height. Within the jump forms, workers assemble steel reinforcement cages that are then encased in concrete, one segment atop the previous one and so on. Eight towers will be constructed on the project’s football-field-long main span pile caps over the coming year, as seen in this animation.
Deck Panel Installation
TZC is continuing to install nearly 6,000 high-strength concrete deck segments for the new crossing’s approach spans. Project cranes are lifting the prefabricated deck panels into place atop previously-installed structural steel girders. The deck segments are prefabricated at an off-site location and barged down river from the project’s Port of Coeymans facility in Albany County. TZC will continue installing the approach span deck sections over the coming year.
Installation of Noise Barriers in South Nyack
Next week will see continued removal of the noise walls located along the northbound Thruway and continued construction of foundations for noise barriers along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. The work involves drilling holes into the soil to install the foundations. After the foundations are installed, concrete panels that form the noise barriers will be installed. The barriers will be treated with sound-absorbing material to further reduce traffic noise to the nearby community.
Additional work includes:
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
- Survey inspections on the existing bridge
- Westchester landings utility work
Boater Safety
Westchester and Rockland Marine Units are continuing patrols to monitor the construction zone and encourage all boaters to obey the established U.S. Coast Guard safety protocols.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a Safety Zone surrounding 16 construction barge mooring locations at the project site. No unauthorized vessels are allowed in the Safety Zone. In addition, marine law enforcement will be enforcing the rules of the expanded Regulated Navigation Areas (RNAs) east and west of the Safety Zone. The RNAs stretch 500 yards north and 500 yards south of the existing bridge. Boaters are urged to transit the main channel with no wake at a maximum speed of 5 knots and to use extreme caution on the river at all times.
More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, construction site maps, can be found here at NewNYBridge.com. The page includes an interactive GPS map showing vessel locations on the Hudson River, detailing which vessels are stopped and which are in motion to a new location for recreational and commercial boaters to get current information on the very active construction zone. The vessel tracking map is for informational purposes and not intended for navigation.
Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Additional temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Permanent elements of the new bridge are lit per U.S. Coast Guard requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment.
All lane closures are subject to change due to traffic, weather or emergency situations. Please visit https://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/ for real-time information regarding traffic conditions.
