Today is the 50th birthday of the
Tappan Zee Bridge, which connects Rockland and Westchester
counties in the lower Hudson Valley of New York State. But as this
Newsday story and countless other media outlets have reported recently, the bridge has outlived its
life-expectancy. When it opened in 1955, the lifespan of the 3-mile bridge was set at 50 years. That time has come, and
with it tons of debate and controversy over what to do about the aging infrastructure that transports 140,000+ vehicles
a day (40,000 more than its traffic-carrying capacity.) I drove over the bridge just a few days ago, and have traveled
it for years, although not on a regular basis. I still feel fairly safe driving over it, and news of its deterioration
won’t scare me away from using it…yet. But it’s more than obvious that the TZ needs some major upgrades. There is an
official Environmental Review website where you can learn more about
the studies done on the condition of the bridge, which spans from Nyack to Tarrytown. Currently, there are
six options still on the table for how to
approach and handle the mounting safety concerns. Unfortunately, none of these can even begin to be implemented for a
few years. Here’s more unsettling coverage:
The
Second Time Around [Journal News]
Tappan Zee Turns 50 Today [1010 Wins]
TZ Bridge An Impending Disaster? [WCBS TV News;
Video]