Posted on 10/07/2017 9:04:35 AM PDT by Impala64ssa
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. – With a 1929 Model A Ford Phaeton making the final 3.1-mile (4.99-kilometer) journey across the Hudson River, the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York City's northern suburbs has officially closed. Much of the fanfare that accompanied the opening of an adjacent $3.9 billion twin-span named in honor of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo in August was missing Friday night when the Tappan Zee saw its final crossing, according to The Journal News . Seth Kestenbaum was the last driver to cross the 61-year-old bridge around 10 p.m. in the vintage Ford. "If you're first across the bridge, everyone's going to be repeating that," Kestenbaum said. "I'm the last one to cross the bridge. I've got to tell you, what an honor." One of the two new spans is now accommodating traffic flowing both ways between Westchester and Rockland counties in New York's northern suburbs on the bridge named for current Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's father, who died in 2015. That span officially opened in late August for Rockland-bound drivers. Cuomo and other dignitaries were on hand for the ceremonial first ride across the bridge. On Friday night, Westchester-bound traffic was quietly diverted onto the same span. A temporary concrete divider will be used until the second span opens next year. The new bridge project was launched by the state Thruway Authority in 2013 after decades of political squabbling. The Tappan Zee opened in 1955. Eventually, the Thruway Authority will give away parts of the old bridge's deck and its moveable barrier system. Eight counties have requested some of the 150 deck panels to be salvaged for reuse in other bridges.
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Malcolm Wilson was the last Conservative NY Governor. A huge reason he gets no respect in NY.
They probably have a contract with the Corleone collection agency—need to get out of state folks to pay that toll!
Exactly! NY seems in a hurry to rename everything after a Dem politician. There was a 50-year pause following the renaming of Idlewild. . .now it’s nonstop.
From the joisey side it looked like you were driving off the edge....such a long curve
If it’s anything like the new Bay Bridge it won’t be the design that’s a cost issue, it’ll be the crappy materials QA/QC.
I drove over the west bound part of it last month, pretty amazing bridge.
Yes, that’s the old one. Post #11 has a video of the new bridge which opened to one-way traffic in August, 2017.
Nice! Thanks!
It reminds me a bit of the Zakim bridge in Boston.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_P._Zakim_Bunker_Hill_Memorial_Bridge
Don’t worry about the bridge name,folks. Its still the Thomas E. Dewey thruway.
I remember the old Bob Grant radio show, and the guy who use to sing “Mario, assenza me! Tu sei un proprio sfaccim." "He can run New York State, but the streets are filled with hate, when he comes to town, this is what we say, Mario, assenza me! Tu sei un proprio sfaccim."[
But the union bosses and the RAT party made out like bandits!
And should have included a rail option, as well.
I knew a truck driver who I was told died going off that bridge some 20 plus years ago.
Shocking. Heh.
It’s good to be the King.
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