Posted on 01/16/2019 11:16:16 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The Tappan Zee Bridge is no more.
Built in 1955, the bridge was replaced after a $4 billion Gov. Mario M. Cuomo replacement bridge was opened to the public last year.
For months, the husk of the old bridge remained in the water adjacent to the Cuomo Bridge. But Tuesday, explosives took the remaining structure down, leaving nothing but debris to clear in the water below.
Traffic on the New York State Thruway/I-87/I-287 will be halted from exit 9 exit 11 for about 45 minutes while controlled explosion is taking place and shortly thereafter.
Here are five things to know about the the Tappan Zee Bridge and its demolition:
1. The explosives were set precisely
The vertical support columns on the east side of the bridge will be destroyed, according to lohud.com.
The goal is to have the explosives placed at timed to force the bridge to fall east, out of the way of the main shipping channel and the new bridge structure.
2. Nets were set to catch the debris
As explosives broke the superstructure apart, nets in the water were placed to the debris did not contaminate the river.
"The old structure will fall into nets that are held up by buoys," Piermont Police Chief Michael O'Shea told ABC. "The Hudson is deep. It's a major shipping lane for all kinds of cargo. We want to keep everyone safe."
3. It’s a huge spectator draw, despite safety concerns
Restaurants near the bridge offered a warm place for patrons to watch the demolition on TV, spectators braved the cold as close as they could get, which wasn’t very close at all.
"Westchester County residents should not be alarmed by the plans for demolition, as the process is being handled in a careful, safe manner," county Executive George Latimer said.
(Excerpt) Read more at ctpost.com ...
I’ve driven over the old bridge many a time. Bye, old friend.
There go my memories.
Never gong to use “Cuomo Bridge”. It will always be the TZ Bridge.
Scary ride on a windy wintery day....
Me, too. We began driving it as soon as it was opened on our twice-annual pilgrimage to see relatives in Thornwood and Stamford. Dad would always say “Kids — look over there. You can see the Empire State Building.” Of course, that’s back when it truly was the EMPIRE STATE. I always loved that nickname while growing up in upstate. It really said something about NYS.
Now “Empire State” is a joke with communist Blasio running NYC.
I am sure glad they put the explosives on the correct bridge.
There’s the Cuomo Bridge and the RFK Bridge....each structure named after an individual who wasn’t fit to have a sewage treatment plant named after him.
1) How about the Ed Koch Queens Borough Bridge? Is he fit to honor?
2) Is there ever a structure in New York named after a Republican governor/mayor or senator? ( nope, Trump Tower does not count ).
Will there ever be a Bridge named after Rudy Giuliani or George Pataki?
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Tapan Zee Bridge?
For me it will always be "Triborough" and "Tappan Zee".
Just sayin'...
It’s Dutch (”Zee”) not German.IIRC “Tappan” was a man of some importance many years ago.
$5 bil for the wall is chump change for the US.
Years ago, as a young merchant marine officer, my father piloted a merchant ship under it.
No one in New York will call it the Mario Cuomo Bridge. It will be like Avenue of the Americas, or the Jackie Robinson Parkway, and yes, the RFK Bridge.
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