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

Safety First: Last-Minute Call to delay Lane Switch due to a Fault in TZB Joint

Remaining Tappan Zee Bridge is now safety concern/EarthCam® construction camera

Tappan Zee Constructors, Inc. (LLC) crews were ready to switch four lanes of traffic to the new eastbound span last night when TZC President and Project Executive Terry Towle, safety his first priority, changed his mind.

“It looks like one of the members of the old Tappan Zee Bridge structure slipped in one of the joints,” Towle said during a conference call with media this afternoon. “We’re investigating what happened with the engineers.”

He said crews coming off shift heard a noise. “They saw a joint that looked like it slipped and took some photos. Engineers investigated, and at 6:30, I thought it would be a problem and canceled the traffic shift at approximately 8 p.m.”

Once this issue arose, “it was a short window of time to make a decision.” The eastbound span’s opening (date) will be evaluated as “we want to be sure the old bridge — approximately 160 feet from the new bridge — is stabilized.”

“We certainly appreciate TZC being proactive and had crews in position to do the (traffic) shift,” Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll said. “At the end of the day, public safety trumps all and should trump politics. That is the Thruway’s number one charge and the governor’s as well.”

Here is what would have occurred last night (Shift 1) and in two weeks (Shift 2).

Despite assurances from structural engineers that there was no danger to either of the new bridge’s spans, Towle said, TZC is not taking any risks. “(My) personal preference is not do anything until there are assurances from multiple engineers that the truss is stabilized,” he reiterated.

Part of that evaluation includes deciding if TZC will now expedite removal of the old bridge or if it will adhere to its original schedule, which was to lower the Westchester anchor span by October and the Rockland anchor span by December, then continue with underwater work going into next year.

The old bridge’s most recent inspection occurred when its disassembly plan was made more than one year ago. “Crews taking down the bridge are very careful and look at the day’s work ahead of time,” Towle assured.

However, “there’s a slight possibility that the joints could fail, and if they fail, then the bridge could potentially fall, and the theoretical possibility is that it could fall toward the eastbound span,” he said. “Engineers have run analyses and are looking at those various options. It’s too soon to answer that.”

When asked who chose the date to open the second, Project Director Jamey Barbas, P.E., said, “TZC advised me and the governor’s office a while (three weeks, one month) ago that the bridge would be open to traffic on September 8.” Friday is good for traffic volume, Barbas said, and it was after Labor Day so as not to inconvenience motorists.

During the call, Towle admitted, “Bottom line is we worked hard to get the eastbound span done, and the fact that it’s empty is embarrassing.”

While the eastbound span didn’t open as planned, the design-build consortium’s president made a last-minute call to put safety first. Take Zero Chances.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2018

Eastbound Span Ceremony, Lane Shift Delayed

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The eastbound span of the new bridge was supposed to have opened overnight; however, according to media reports, state police confirmed the lane switch would not take place and gave no reason.

Remaining Tappan Zee Bridge is now safety concern/EarthCam® construction camera

What remains of the Tappan Zee Bridge — two pieces of the main span — is said to be unstable, and there’s fear it might collapse. Boats are prohibited from traveling through the main span channel.

Just to clarify, staties were on the "new" span, DEC cops on the old.

— Matt Coyne (@coynereports) September 8, 2018

Hang tight, folks. Safety first.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2018