Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) began removing temporary access structures on the westbound main span towers this week, following the successful installation of permanent maintenance elevators. The temporary structures are being removed with the assistance of the red main span tower cranes, which will also be dismantled in the coming weeks.
Equipment Relocation
Work near the Rockland landing will require the use of a mobile crane in the median separating the Thruway’s northbound and southbound traffic lanes. TZC will move the crane to the median during the early morning hours of Monday, June 12, requiring a single traffic stop at approximately 4 a.m. The traffic stop of the four northbound/westbound Thruway lanes near the Tappan Zee Bridge in South Nyack is expected to last up to 10 minutes. To ensure the public’s safety, the State Police will stop and hold all traffic approaching the area immediately before the traffic stop goes into effect.
Roadway and Aesthetic Lighting
TZC is currently installing roadway lighting fixtures on the main span.
Testing of the westbound bridge’s aesthetic lighting and roadway lighting will continue this week. Periodic testing will occur during the coming weeks.
The bridge’s lighting fixtures utilize energy efficient light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, designed with 100,000-hour lifespans.
Maintenance and State Police Facilities
TZC will continue to construct walls for the Thruway Authority’s new maintenance facility in Tarrytown this week. TZC is also preparing steel fabrications, which are scheduled for installation this month.
TZC will also continue with footing and retaining wall construction for the new State Police facility in Tarrytown.
These buildings will facilitate bridge access for Thruway personnel and the State Police. Both currently operate from a temporary facility near exit 12 in West Nyack.
Additional work includes:
- Stay cable installation
- Fence installation
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
- Survey inspections on the existing bridge
- Utility work at the Rockland and Westchester landings
- Pier substructure work
- Bridge utilities and lighting installation
- Expansion joint operations
- Barrier installation in Westchester
- Internal tower work
- Maintenance dock construction
Boater Safety
Rockland and Westchester marine units will continue enhanced patrols of the project site to enforce boater safety measures implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard in partnership with the New York State Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors.
Periodic closures of the main navigation channel and adjacent span areas will occur due to on-going construction. Boaters are strongly encouraged to avoid the project site during these closures.
The closures are anticipated through the end of this year as project crews install new sections of structural steel and road deck panels between the towers of the new crossing. Cranes, barges and other construction equipment will occupy parts of the channel during this time.
Times and dates of the closures will appear in the U.S. Coast Guard’s weekly Notice to Mariners; on the New NY Bridge (NNYB) project’s Twitter feed (@NewNYBridge); and broadcast on Marine Radio Channel 22A.
Times and dates of the channel closures are subject to change.
TZC will be monitoring the main channel during closure hours and can be contacted via Marine Radio Channel 16 for assistance. Both TZC security personnel off-site and marine units will advise incoming boaters of the closures and direct them appropriately. TZC is also in on-going communication with the commercial shipping industry about the channel closures.
Boaters are strongly urged to use the center 600 feet of the main channel (when available) to navigate in a north-south direction with no wake at a maximum speed of five knots.
TZC has installed Private Aids to Navigation to supplement the existing channel delineation. Buoys are positioned both north and south of the bridge and consist of two green buoys to mark the west edge of the channel and two red buoys to mark the east edge. Two red navigation lights are on the north side of the new bridge to mark the limits of the shipping channel.
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. The U.S. Coast Guard also has established a safety zone encompassing all navigable waters within a 200-yard radius of the largest machine on the project, the I Lift NY super crane, legally registered with the U.S. Coast Guard as the Left Coast Lifter.
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. The Eastern RNA will be extremely active and vessels transitioning to and from the eastern shoreline at Tarrytown should approach and depart to the north. The Western RNA will be impassable at times and mariners should stay clear of the area.
Mariners also should be aware that TZC will continue work in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge. Mariners are advised to stay clear of all overhead work and maintain a safe distance of 1,000 feet from all construction equipment and support vessels. In addition, all bridge piers and abutments are protected by a 25-yard security zone.
The 600-foot navigation channel under the main span of the existing bridge remains lit per U.S. Coast Guard permit requirements, as are all moorings, barges and other equipment. All mariners should consult the latest USCG Local Notice to Mariners before transiting this area.
More New NY Bridge boater safety information, including the U.S. Coast Guard Notice to Mariners and construction site map can be found at NewNYBridge.com/Boater. 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.
The New York State Thruway Authority provides this information as a public service. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. Nothing in these guidelines shall supersede the actual construction conditions, and regulations set forth by the U.S. Coast Guard.
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.
