Walking the Esposito Trail with My Thoughts

People were driving sooo slooowly this afternoon. Traffic began right after cars merged from Exit 9 onto the Thruway. The speed (constant braking) allowed me to see how far work on the new maintenance facility has progressed.

The Esposito Trail was pretty and lined with lush greenery. I took notice of the side where the new path will be built and kept thinking it will be gone by this time next year.

There were bicyclists and no other walkers in the late afternoon, and when they rode by I stepped aside. It was quiet and respectful, and I understand why some in the village want to keep it that way: no side path.

Beyond the green (west) I saw fencing and the outline of cars that completed the huge circle and chose to bear right into South Nyack. That’s if you look for the fencing. Hard to imagine what it will be like walking the trail, which will remain cinder, once the new path is built.

The state’s survey closes July 9; the village has been responding and has been making itself heard to the board and via lawn signs posted since January.

There’s still time to complete it and tell project officials what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2017

Tower Crane Removal; Structures Underway

Checking out the cranes as the towers gain height via jump forms/© Janie Rosman 2016

Six months (brr!) ago the towers ceremoniously got their last cement pour, after which tower cranes began to remove the blue jump forms that helped build them.

The blue forms are a thing of the past, and recently the main span tower cranes said their goodbyes to the project. No longer needed, the second of two red tower cranes that helped construct the main span will soon be gone.

* * * * *

Instead of calling the driver in front of you names for crossing the solid line to get in front of you — HELLO. Other. Driver. It’s. A. Solid. Line. For. A. Reason. — look to the right (if it’s safe to do so). You’ll see additional concrete walls and formwork on the new maintenance facility in Tarrytown.

Here’s what it looked like yesterday per the New NY Bridge’s webcam. Near the top right (on the south side of the Thruway) are retaining walls and footing for the new state police facility.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2017

Road Trip includes Glimpses of NNYB Progress

What’s a trip north without checking out the replacement for the bridge I shall miss? Yes, I admit it. Since it was Sunday, and there was no traffic, I had a chance to see foundations for the new maintenance facility at the Westchester landing. Did I mention there was no traffic?

I also got another look at the scaffolding climbed by one adventurous project official. Remember, the stairs begin above the crossover bridge and are outside one of the 419-foot tall main span towers. Click the photo enlarge it, and then click the magnifier for an up-close view of what it’s like to climb up the tower.

Cloudy skies on the way were foreboding and very different from a similar trip last April; they made a pretty picture, almost like a painting on canvas. While the day was overcast, last weekend’s skies were clear and beautiful when Flying Films NY traveled to the project site for these aerial views.

Stay safe this Memorial Day and remember to show gratitude and be thankful.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2017

Exit to Exit: a Whole Lotta Traffic In-between

You can see traffic slogging along westbound per EarthCam® camera at Westch. landing

Memorial Day Weekend. The. Westbound. Span. Should. Have. Been. Opened.

Woulda, shoulda, coulda says nothing about the fact that it hasn’t and isn’t.

During a late afternoon drove to Rockland for copies of this week’s Rockland County Times, which has my story about a woman who advocates for senior housing and safety at home, I got stuck in traffic.

I’m home waiting for a FedEx delivery that requires a signature so I’ll tell you about yesterday’s driving experience.

Silly me. It’s a holiday weekend, and the vehicular madness was well underway by the time I merged onto crowded, no, packed, 287 from the Sprain. Inching from Exit 2 to Exit 1 was a challenge; once on the Thruway, it took about 20 minutes to drive from Exit 9 (Tarrytown) to Exit 10 (South Nyack).

I miss Ramp E, the South Broadway (Route 9) entrance ramp to the bridge in Tarrytown. I really miss it when I’m in that area and have to travel west as its absence continues to cause traffic nightmares.

In its place the state is building a new facility, which drivers and I saw from the other side:

Work begins to escalate on our new Tappan Zee Bridge Maintenance facility on Westchester landing. pic.twitter.com/l1JpdY2TzK

— The New NY Bridge (@NewNYBridge) May 22, 2017

It’s ironic that the new bridge will change nothing about congestion choking 287 on its own and as arteries, like Westchester Avenue and the Sprain, merge onto it. This new bridge will offer cars and trucks — they NEED to be in their own lane! — an easy, breezy 3.1 miles of travel until bridge meets land, and the madness continues in Rockland.

What gives? The westbound span was set to open last December 2016, then in early 2017. Somewhere, sometime, project officials starting saying the bridge, shared use path (including in South Nyack), maintenance facility and new state police barracks will open in 2018.

When the super crane arrived at the project site in October 2014, Governor Cuomo held a press conference and was asked about potential tolls.

“We don’t know how much we will we get from the federal government, how much we will get from the state; there are state loans and grants we can access,” he said, citing the variables. Additional unknowns are the built-in contract incentives for Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) to finish the project before spring 2018 or penalties for completing it later.

Spring 2018 is 12 months from now, which is nearly summer if you consider it’s Memorial Day Weekend and an unofficial start of summer.

So crews need to finish the whole shebang before June 21, 2018, the real start of summer. Will the bridge builder be penalized for finishing the project one day later? Stay tuned.

It’s too bad New York State made this into a bridge project instead of sticking to a corridor project. The 287 construction was finished nine months ahead of schedule, and I’m sure (though I don’t remember) traffic “flowing smoothly” four or five years ago.

Several people working on the project told me it would be impossible to widen 287. What was the point of building a bridge between two congested highways without considering the motorists who use them?

I covered the Mass Transit Task Force meetings, where this exchange took place during the final get-together:

“Who will take the initiative to make sure the recommendations will move forward?” State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (88th District) asked. State DOT Commissioner Joan McDonald replied, “Our charge was to make recommendations. It’s up to the governor and the Thruway Authority to see what are the next steps.”

The governor said on January 29, 2013 — 11 days after the bridge builder received the A-OK to begin — that completion of 287’s reconstruction and the bridge project represent how his administration cut through government dysfunction. It’s all well and good to have plans; however, as my mom’s cousin Helen used to say, “You have to look down the road a piece.”

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2017

Paving the Way for New Maintenance Facility

While there’s no more door — at least not that door — there are, however, formwork and walls for the new maintenance facility being built in Tarrytown.

Start of Thruway Authority facility at the Westchester shared use path landing/NYSTA

This time last year the toll plaza in Tarrytown was demolished, and traffic methodically shifted lanes during the transition until cashless tolling began.

Only a few days remain until the electronic toll gantry is activated/© Janie Rosman 2016

And while fares have increased significantly in the past 50-plus years, through 2020 they’ll remain at status quo: cars pay $5 cash, $4.75 with E-ZPass®, and commuters pay $3 (20-trip booklet for $60).

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2017