Accumulating snow forecast to fall on Saturday, Jan. 23, and possible blizzard conditions in the vicinity of the Tappan Zee Bridge may limit some operations at the project site over the coming weekend. Scheduled operations will be carefully reviewed before they begin to help ensure the continued safety of the public and the project team.
Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC, (TZC) inclement weather preparation protocols include inspecting and adjusting all mooring lines, inspecting crane barges and securing all equipment, having tug boats on the water to provide rapid response, moving the large majority of cranes to shallow water moorings and taking all smaller crew boats out of the water. Additionally, throughout every storm, TZC uses video and GPS to monitor the entire fleet of project vessels from its security operations center.
Noise Barrier Construction
As weather permits, landside crews will continue constructing noise barriers along the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) in South Nyack. The operation includes continuing the construction of noise barrier foundations along the southbound Thruway between the South Broadway bridge and River Road. This construction work involves drilling holes into the soil to install foundations. After the foundations are established, 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.
All-Electronic Toll Collection Gantry Work
Construction of the project’s temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) system in Rockland is planned to continue near the exit 10 (Nyack – South Nyack – US Route 9W) on-ramp to the southbound Thruway. Weather permitting, the work will require overnight closures of two lanes of the southbound Thruway the remainder of this week and during the coming week. Specific lane closure times are detailed in the chart below.
| DATE: | CLOSURES BEGIN: | CLOSURES END: | LOCATION: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., 1/21 | 8 p.m. – Two right lanes | 5 a.m., Fri., 1/22 | Southbound Thruway from exit 12 to exit 10 |
| Fri., 1/22 | 9 p.m. – Two right lanes | 5 a.m., Sat., 1/23 | Southbound from exit 12 to exit 10 |
| Sat., 1/23 | 9 p.m. – Two right lanes | 6 a.m., Sun., 1/24 | Southbound from exit 12 to exit 10 |
| Mon., 1/25 | 8 p.m. – Two left lanes | 5 a.m., Tue., 1/26 | Southbound from exit 12 to exit 10 |
| Tue., 1/26 | 8 p.m. – Two right lanes | 5 a.m., Wed., 1/27 | Southbound from exit 12 to exit 10 |
| Wed., 1/27 | 8 p.m. – Two right lanes | 5 a.m., Thu., 1/28 | Southbound from exit 12 to exit 10 |
| Thu., 1/28 | 8 p.m. – Two right lanes | 5 a.m., Fri., 1/29 | Southbound from exit 12 to exit 10 |
| Fri., 1/29 | 9 p.m. – Two right lanes | 5 a.m., Sat., 1/30 | Southbound from exit 12 to exit 10 |
| Sat., 1/30 | 9 p.m. – Two right lanes | 6 a.m., Sun., 1/31 | Southbound from exit 12 to exit 10 |
Additional work includes:
- Main span tower construction
- Support for river-based work from the Rockland trestle
- Rockland landing retaining walls
- Survey inspections on the existing bridge
- Westchester landings utility work
- Girder assembly placement
- Bridge road deck installation
- Drainage structure installations
Boater Safety
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.
