Tappan Zee Bridge
Coordinates: 41 ° 4 ′ 13 ″ N , 73 ° 52 ′ 51 ″ W.
  Tappan Zee Bridge
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| Official name | The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge | |
| Convicted | I-87 / I-287 ( New York State Thruway ) | |
| Crossing of | Hudson River | |
| place | South Nyack and Tarrytown , New York | |
| Entertained by | New York State Thruway Authority | |
| construction | Cantilever bridge | |
| overall length | 4881 m | |
| Longest span | 369.42 m | |
| Clear height | 42 m | |
| vehicles per day | 135000 | |
| opening | December 15, 1955 | |
| closure | 2017 | |
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The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge or generally just Tappan Zee Bridge was a cantilever bridge in New York and crossed the Hudson River at one of its widest points, Tappan Zee . This name is derived from an Indian tribe , the Tappan and the Dutch word for sea . The structure connected South Nyack in Orangetown with Tarrytown in Westchester County . Construction of the bridge began in March 1952 and was opened to traffic on December 15, 1955.
In 2017 traffic was directed to the neighboring replacement bridge. The dismantling of the Tappan Zee Bridge began soon after. The eastern boom was blown up on January 15, 2019, and the western boom is to be dismantled in the course of 2019.
The total length of the structure was 4881 m, of which the steel girder span is 369.42 m long and is 42 m above the water. The bridge was about 25 miles north of Midtown Manhattan . On a clear day, the skyline was visible from the bridge.
The bridge was part of the New York State Thruway and was also designated as Interstate 87 and Interstate 287 . Seven lanes led across it, the middle of which could be swapped between the two directions depending on the traffic: on weekdays this lane leads east in the morning and west in the afternoon. To do this, the middle concrete barrier was moved by machine. Despite this measure, there was regular slow-moving traffic in the bridge area.
The name of former New York governor Malcolm Wilson was added to the name of the bridge in 1994.
History and construction
When the demands of the growing commuter traffic began to overload the existing bridges and tunnels, the Port of New York Authority planned to build a bridge over the Hudson River at Dobbs Ferry in 1950 . The plan was rejected by New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey , who wanted a bridge to be built to connect the New York State Thruway to the New England Thruway via Westchester . The Port Authority had promised its shareholders that there would be no other river crossing within its jurisdiction, which extended a mile south of Nyack and across from Piermont .
In an editorial in The New York Times dated May 10, 1950, a location south of Dobbs Ferry or north of Hastings-on-Hudson was judged appropriate, where the river is much narrower than the three miles that the Tappan Zee connects at its widest point from one bank to the other. The editorial called on Governor Dewey to work out a compromise with his New Jersey counterpart Alfred E. Driscoll so that users of the New York Thruway would receive a perk to offset the detour through a more southerly route. Two days later, Governor Dewey announced that the Port Authority had dropped its plans for its own bridge. The location of the new building was placed as close as possible to the boundary of the port's area of responsibility and thus in the Tarrytown – Nyack area.
The location of the bridge at the widest point of the Hudson River contributed to the construction costs. A location had been chosen that was as close as possible to New York City, but was still outside the 25 miles of the Port Authority's sphere of influence.
Structural problems
In 2013, the condition of the bridge was classified as precarious; according to a renowned expert, it was considered one of the "oldest and most potentially dangerous bridges" in the USA. Structural studies have established that any type of impact, from "steel corrosion to earthquakes and ship accidents, can cause major and possibly catastrophic damage". A senior official for the New York governor called the Tappan Zee Bridge the "hold your breath" bridge. A report from 2009 criticized the fact that the bridge had not been built under "conditions conducive to long-term durability" and that the bridge builders had neglected to plan operational redundancies . This would mean that a single "critical break could bring the bridge to collapse completely, since its girders could not compensate for the damage by shifting the load to other girders".
Replacement structure
The aging of the structure, which is handling much more traffic than planned, has led to calls for repairs or the construction of a new bridge or tunnel . The discussions ultimately resulted in six variants that were subjected to an environmental impact assessment . The collapse of the Interstate 35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minnesota on August 1, 2007 renewed doubts about the structural condition of the bridge.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) examined the feasibility of an additional railroad bridge that will cross the river at the point or the construction of the new bridge as a combined bridge for road traffic and railroad. In this case, the railway line would run below the roadway. Commuter train service to the west of the river is limited, and the MTA is also exploring the possibility of connecting Rockland County over the new Hudson Line bridge , which will provide direct access to Manhattan.
On September 26, 2008, the state announced plans to build a new bridge that would include tracks for commuter trains and lanes reserved for express buses. The cost of the new construction has been estimated at 6.4 billion US dollars , plus another 2.9 billion US dollars that will be needed to build the bus lanes between Suffern and Port Chester . The construction of a rail line from the Metro North station in Suffern across the bridge to the Hudson Line south of Tarrytown would cost another 6.7 billion US dollars. The plan was reviewed in 2008 for its environmental impact .
In 2019 the eastern arm of the old bridge was blown up.
Suicides
From 1998 to 2008, more than 25 people committed suicide on the bridge, according to statistics from the New York State Thruway Authority . On August 31, 2007, the agency placed telephones on each side of the structure that connect callers directly to a psychological support facility.
Individual evidence
- ^ Tessa Melvin: If You're Thinking of Living In / Tarrytown; Rich History, Picturesque River Setting ( English ) The New York Times . 1994 / 08-21. Retrieved January 30, 2009: "The Dutch called this point, the river's widest, the Tappan Zee - Tappan probably for a group of Indians and Zee meaning" sea "in Dutch."
- ^ Joseph C. Ingraham: Port Bridge Plan blocked by Dewey ( English ) The New York Times . May 7, 1950. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
- ^ That Thruway Bridge ( English ) The New York Times . May 10, 1950. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
- ↑ Joseph C. Ingraham: Port Body Gives in On Thruway Span ( English ) The New York Times . May 12, 1950. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
- ^ Elsa Brenner: Future of Bridge Stirs Bicounty Cooperation ( English ) The New York Times . Retrieved January 31, 2009: “ The site was selected to be as close to New York City as possible while escaping the 25-mile jurisdiction of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which apparently opposed the bridge because it would compete with the authority's own crossings. "
- ↑ David W. Chen: A Bridge Too Long; The Cost of Urban Sprawl: Unplanned Obsolescence " ( English ) The New York Times . January 30, 2000. Retrieved January 31, 2009:" "And because it is so long - built at the Hudson's widest point to escape the 25th mile jurisdiction of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey - it is unusually expensive to maintain, repair and, if necessary, replace. "
- ↑ a b Falling Down . In: New York Magazine , January 27, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ↑ The Tappan Zee Is Falling Down . In: City Journal . 21, No. 2, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.tzbsite.com/tzblibrary/stage1/tzbrecommendedreviewalt.pdf ( Memento from March 16, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Tappan Zee Bridge has received 'poor' ratings' ( English ) Poughkeepsie Journal August 3rd. 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
- ^ State to Replace, Not Rebuild, Tappan Zee Bridge ( English ) The New York Times . September 26, 2008. Accessed January 31, 2009.
- ↑ Farewell to Thee, Old Tappan Zee! Span Goes Down in History . In: NBC New York . ( nbcnewyork.com [accessed January 17, 2019]).
- ^ Authorities Put Anti-Suicide Phones on TZ Bridge . WCBS TV . Retrieved January 30, 2009.
Web links
- Tappan Zee Bridge at NYC Roads
- Tappan Zee Bridge / I-287 Environmental Review
- Tappan Zee Bridge. In: Structurae
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Upstream Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry |
Crossing the Hudson River |
Downstream George Washington Bridge   
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