Residents kept informed by noise, vibration and air quality monitors
as first pile driving begins on a temporary work platform
As work begins on a temporary Westchester work platform for the New NY Bridge, residents will be kept informed by a first-of-its kind environmental monitoring system with results publicly posted on the internet.
“We are empowering people with information and keeping them up to date on what’s happening with this vital project,” said Thruway Authority Executive Director Thomas Madison. “We are taking unprecedented measures to mitigate noise, vibration and air quality issues and the monitoring system that is now on our website is a major part of that effort.”
As soon as Friday, May 10, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) will begin daytime pile driving work to install the temporary foundation needed to support a trestle in the Hudson River on Thruway Authority property just north of the current bridge in Tarrytown. The trestle is a work platform that will support a crane for the construction of the easternmost 1000 feet of the new bridge. The 1000-foot long platform, which will be dismantled when the bridge is complete, helps reduce the amount of dredging required in the Hudson and allows the crews to work from the water and not from the Westchester shoreline.
TZC has installed highly sophisticated monitoring devices at locations near the project site in Westchester. These devices will record the level of sound, vibration and air quality and the data will be available to the public online at www.newnybridge.com as part of the New York State Thruway Authority’s commitment to openness and transparency.
Environmental requirements limit pile driving and other loud construction activities to a maximum of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. There will be no pile driving done on the weekends.
Because the soil under the river is so soft, the pilings will be installed using the vibration technique for the most part. Vibratory pile driving is much quieter than impact pile driving and will be less intrusive for nearby residents. Short duration impact pile driving will be used to set the piles into bedrock. TZC will also use sound mitigating shrouds and other techniques to reduce the noise levels involved.
The EPCs are intended to monitor, minimize and mitigate potential adverse effects related to construction noise, vibration and air quality associated with the project. In addition to the monitoring systems and specialized pile driving techniques, the Thruway Authority is requiring many other mitigation measures including state-of-the-art controls to limit dust and emissions and receiving deliveries of equipment and supplies mostly by barge, rather than truck.
Construction of the temporary Westchester trestle is expected to last several months. Construction of a similar work platform on Thruway property near the Rockland County shoreline is expected to begin in July.
For a direct link to the data from the monitors go to: https://www.newnybridge.com/environmental-monitoring/
