Posted on 01/17/2006 8:15:41 PM PST by neverdem
The Tappan Zee Bridge, the most critical transportation link across the Hudson River north of New York City, is not even half as old as the Brooklyn Bridge, but its warranty has already expired.
Started on the cheap during the Korean War, the Tappan Zee was deliberately built to last just 50 years. It passed that milestone last month, just days after transportation planners began gathering public advice about how to fix or replace it.
But the decaying, overburdened span's anniversary was more bitter than sweet. Little love has been lost between the Tappan Zee and the tens of thousands of commuters who depend on it. They complain about the poor condition of its roadway and the backups caused by every breakdown and flat tire.
Even before it was built, the bridge's own designers said it would be one of the "ugliest" in the region. Half a century later, the Tappan Zee has not aged gracefully. There are cracks in its concrete columns, its superstructure is rusting away and its deck is nearly worn through.
The New York State Thruway Authority, which owns the 3.1-mile-long bridge carrying the Thruway over the Hudson, has said that the deck, some structural steel, the concrete walkway and electrical systems have "deteriorated significantly." The authority plans to spend more than $100 million next year just to patch the bridge's holes and replace some of its corroded steel, a process sure to make travel even slower for commuters.
Catching daily glimpses of the long cracks in the bridge's superstructure frightens Brett Ruskin, who drives from his home in Monsey across the Tappan Zee to Tarrytown, where he catches a Metro-North train to Grand Central Terminal. "My biggest concern is not so much the traffic, because the big problem with the Tappan Zee Bridge is it's..."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ya got me! I forgot the Henry Hudson.
Seriously -- I may fall out of love with the city at some point. And I'm not ruling out that I'll move away to someplace quiet one day. But it will always be home. You get your money's worth out of life in NYC.
I don't know about getting your money's worth. You do, however, get a run for your money.
}:^)
When I do go back, I notice a change in me. As I come across NJ on I78, my fingers start to tighten on the wheel. Not far from the city, I start driving with two feet and when I can see the skyline, that empty spot still makes me angry.
I'm also amazed at how close everything is. You can get very used to having room very quickly.
After being told that a bridge connecting Alaska's biggest city to the fastest growing area of the state is a "bridge to nowhere," I'm amused to throw back East some of dumb comments made about our own bridge. (I don't agree with any of these comments - it's just sarcastic fun to apply the arguments to the Hudson River.)
1. A deteriorating bridge is your own damn fault. Move away from upstate New York is you need a job or home "across the river."
2. New Yorkers should pay for it. Don't waste my money on your projects.
3. The money is better spent helping people in New Orleans.
4. Nyack, New York, is nowhere. I've been there.
5. The politicians from New York are just moneygrubbing scoundrels.
6. Don't they make a ton of money in New York? Why should we have to help them?
7. It's not my job to support your need for economic development.
Sarcasm off.
Now my REAL opinion. If the government was actually operating as it was supposed to - in a limited manner, with specific, enumerated duties - we would have enough money to build and maintain roads, bridges, and other projects that support our economy. In fact, as someone who's driven much of the interstate system from coast to coast, a lot of those roads are pretty well made. Road building is specifically mentioned in the Constitution for the simple reason that good roads mean efficient commerce. Unfortunately, our government has also decided to spend our tax money on... well, you name it, there's a program, and when there's a program, there's a jealous little constituent group attached to it. I wish somewhere someone would actually express sympathy for the idea of limited government. Maybe the next time a people opt for the idea of a republic a few thousand years from now.
You could be right. See my response to neverdem at post#66.
I want the last thought in my head before I die to be: "Damn, that was fun!"
And yeah, I still get angry at that empty space. Coming out of a subway downtown, I still catch myself looking for the towers to get my orientation.
Make that post #65.
I express sympathy for the idea of limited government.
It needs sympathy, especially with the abuse it suffers at the hands of NYC's citizens.
As part of the recent privatization program in NYC I'm prepared to offer you a bridge at a very reasonable price...
"As part of the recent privatization program in NYC I'm prepared to offer you a bridge at a very reasonable price..."
As long as it's not rent-controlled. Nobody can make a profit on those places. And it's a helluva time running out troll tenants...
True Fact: There are somewhat large rooms in the base of the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. These were originally rented by stores for storage of wine and other products that came off the ships. Later, the space was rented to artists as studios. Now it's just storage for the city.
Gawd, does this bring back memories. My Dad drove us across that bridge when we went from our home in NJ to visit my Uncle in CN. Hate to date myself but that was like the late 50's/early 60's. Even back then, I remember that stretch of road (and the Merritt Parkway beyond) for tar stips that put you to sleep (buh-doom...buh-doom...buh-doom). Wasn't there some kinda "castle" up on the bluffs on the east side of the bridge, too?
What really jumps out at me here is today's cost of a replacement bridge. Yeah, I'm a software engineer (building weapons) and not a civil engineer (building targets), but does it strike anyone else as odd that the original bridge cost $550 million in TODAY's dollars, but a replacement would be $14.5 billion (almost 25x as much)? Even if the new bridge is built "better" (is 100 years too little?) and carries more traffic (say, twice as wide?), it seems a bit steep.
How much of that cost is buying real estate for new bridge access, and paying for labor unions' "progress" over 50 years?
An elderly friend of mine who died a few years ago won a full university scholarship (when he was in high school) by winning an essay contest. The subject for the essays was: "Should bridges be built across the Hudson River?".
bttt
It will certainly be rebuilt regardless of costs because of one matter which hasn't been mentioned yet. Rockland County, west of the bridge, is the closest place in NY state where public employees in blue collar jobs can afford to raise a family. For that reason the county is often called 'Copland'.
If the bridge is unusable commuters will have a 30 mile out of the way trip north to the beautiful 2 lane Bear Mountain Bridge, or drive the overcrowded southbound routes to the jam-packed George Washington Bridge. The effect of this is that most policemen in the Bronx and much of Manhattan won't be able to get to work.
Just what we need, NYC with no cops!
That bridge swayed bigtime last time we crossed it some years ago. I had no idea it was that rickety but I guess a lot of suspension bridges have this frightening feature. We used to love to cross it as kids, or the GW bridge. Ah...the good old days!
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