TBT: Sneak Peek at New State Police Barracks

Last year your intrepid reporter visited the project site. The above New York State Thruway Authority photo shows only one side so, camera in hand . . .

I drove past the fork in the road and was stopped by a guard. After a few minutes of talking, I took a few photos of the structure from an “invisible via car” side.

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Several years earlier, residents in the 40-home neighborhood bordering the bridge were concerned about how vehicles would access the construction site, safety for kids playing, school buses and the nearby JCC.

The area was quiet and clean this afternoon; the only visible signs of construction were structures (seen here) towering over a metal fence guarded by security. Past the cars and the Thruway is the new maintenance facility with new metal panels.

Personal note: A big thank you with gratitude and appreciation to everyone who supported me during the past stressful week. Mom was taken to the hospital one week ago Friday with multiple complications and was discharged yesterday with renewed spirit and appetite.

Needing to make a decision about mom in addition to other responsibilities, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I’m relieved her health has improved and that she’s in a new facility to help her regain mobility and balance.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2018

TZB Demolition & Removal Proceed as Planned

Now that the eastbound ride is closer to what remains of the Tappan Zee Bridge, how many of you are looking to see where one of the members slipped in one of the joints?

I am. Maybe others can find it on the east anchor span; maybe it’s not visible from the road due to its location above the support columns near the western opening.

The Thruway Authority said the demolition process will proceed as planned and will not be expedited. Strand jacks will assist with lowering the two anchor spans, after which the super crane will help remove the main span’s steel support structures, completing main span removal by late fall 2018.

“Engineers try to prepare for all contingencies and generally have a series of demolition stages where they examine and prepare for the different loading conditions at each stage,” Andrew Herrmann, partner emeritus of consulting engineers, Hardesty & Hanover, explained.

During demolition, when removing members of the bridge, loads in remaining members change and have to be checked to make sure no component is overloaded.

The eastbound span of the new bridge is and always was safe. Happy viewing!

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2018

New Ride on Eastbound Span; SUP is Underway

Nice, roomy ride back to Westchester this afternoon that gave me a much closer look at what little remains of the Tappan Zee Bridge. I was in the right lane as cars whizzed by me.

It looks close for 160 feet apart; however, it’s an optical illusion from the driver’s seat. This is a better view of the old bridge than from the westbound span.

En route to Rockland, I wanted to see where the shared use path left the bridge. It was difficult to tell so I found where the path separated from the Thruway.

The newest span is open, it’s a smooth ride that offers a better view of what’s doing on the east side of the old bridge. Don’t forget to check the great view of the Hudson Valley heading westbound.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2018

Two Days Later: is the TZB Section Any Safer?

Remaining Tappan Zee Bridge still a safety concern/EarthCam® construction camera

While there remains a possibility of the old bridge east anchor span failing, in the event it does, it will fall within a safety zone that does not affect vessel traffic or the structural integrity of the new eastbound bridge.

So a few questions: which way would that section fall? Would it fall sideways to the south? Does last week’s discovery mean crews will expedite their dismantling process? How would the falling piece(s) affect the Westchester and Rockland shorelines?

These are some of the questions I asked Sunday night and was told yesterday there’s no further information at this time.

The eastbound span will open tonight, the second night of Rosh Hashanah and the solemn day of September 11. Perhaps more people will be on the road tonight returning home from dinners and services. Why not wait until Friday: it’s good for traffic volume, as project director Jamey Barbas, P.E., said during Sunday’s conference call.

Maybe tonight because the New York State gubernatorial primary is Thursday.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2018

Traffic will shift to New Eastbound Span Tuesday

“After careful evaluation, Tappan Zee Constructors has determined that the old Tappan Zee Bridge east anchor span is damaged but currently stable with certain key components highly stressed,” TZC President and Project Executive Terry Towle said tonight in a statement.

This will not endanger either the westbound span or the eastbound span above, photo courtesy of the New York State Thruway Authority, which had been ready to open since Friday.

“While there remains a possibility of the old bridge east anchor span (steel truss) failing,” Towle said, if it does, then “it will fall within a safety zone that does not affect vessel traffic or the structural integrity of the new eastbound bridge.”

Its assessment completed, TZC recommended shifting traffic to the eastbound span, a process scheduled for Tuesday night if weather permits. Rain comes tomorrow, Tuesday brings thunderstorms, and tropical storm-turned-hurricane Florence will hit the east coast after the span opens.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2018