UPDATE Sept. 10, 2018:
The opening of the second span of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on Saturday was delayed after a piece of the old Tappan Zee Bridge, which is parallel to the new structure, became destabilized and threatened to fall, according to officials.
Traffic was restricted to a single span of the bridge only a few hours after the ribbon cutting for the new 3.1-mile span over the Hudson River took place this weekend. Terry Towle, president and project manager of Tappan Zee Constructors LLC, said in a statement that a portion of the old Tappan Zee Bridge, which is being dismantled, had been damaged but remains stable.
Towle explained to news outlets over the weekend that at around 5 p.m. on Friday, crew members disassembling the old bridge heard a “loud pop” coming from the old structure. There appeared to be problems with joints that could have theoretically caused the old bridge to fall toward the new eastbound span, which is 160 ft away. Engineers inspected the old bridge and it did not appear that the new span was in danger. Authorities are waiting for additional assurances from multiple engineers that the old bridge is fully stabilized.
As of Monday morning, reports indicated that the new span could be reopened on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
ORIGINAL POST Sept. 6, 2018:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently said the second span of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge, will open to traffic on Saturday, Sept. 8.
The governor made the announcement Tuesday as he toured the $3.9 billion project named after his late father. He says construction on the span was accelerated to get the bridge open and reduce traffic between Rockland and Westchester counties.
Eight lanes of traffic have been crammed onto one bridge. Now with four wider lanes in each direction, drivers should see some relief. What remains to be seen is how much it will ultimately cost to drive across.
The remaining part of the old bridge will still be standing when the second span is opened. It will have to be taken down before the project is finished. Traffic was shifted onto the first span of the new bridge last year.
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Original post source: WABC-TV
Updates source: New York Times / WAMC
