Bridge Art incorporates Pieces of Tappan Zee; Lingering Thoughts

As the bridge project and my time documenting it are completed, I twice walked from South Nyack to Tarrytown in June. It won’t be the last time as those 3.6 miles afford gorgeous views of the Hudson Valley. Once to took the free shuttle bus that operates Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays back to my car at the South Nyack landing. The second time Trooper Griffin of State Police Troop T drove me across the bridge to the South Nyack landing as it was Thursday, and I’d forgotten to bring fare for the shuttle back. Appreciated the ride and conversation.

Thank you for reading my blog, which I began after two community meetings with business leaders. Notable moments from this project, one of my more fascinating assignments, include President Obama’s visit to Tarrytown, the super crane’s arrival, its first girder assembly placement, the main span towers’ completion and the westbound span’s opening day.

APPROACH (Fitzhugh Karol) Brooklyn

Fast forward to June 2020: the long-awaited path on that span opened, affording a bit more space to bicyclists than to pedestrians and highlighting the importance of safety, speed and consideration within in its 12-foot width. Sculptures at each landing — one above in South Nyack, two below in Tarrytown — contain reclaimed steel from the Tappan Zee Bridge.

UNTITLED, FOR IMRE LENDVAI (Thomas Lendvai, Ronkonkoma)

About the Tappan Zee: I agree with a friend that the governor was disingenuous at best for ignoring the indigenous name for the area and for ignoring its history by renaming the new bridge for his late father.

The structure cost more than its initial price tag and took longer to complete than its contracted five years and two months, and the design-build team sued the state for $900 million in extra costs last November. Did you know the initially-proposed “light rail” was never to be built? If it was, then where would it connect to exiting rail lines? Now you know.

CURRENT (Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong, Brooklyn) Sculpture

If you’ve read something within this blog that sparks a memory or would like to learn more about the new bridge, then visit Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. The New NY Bridge website is archived on that site and will remain live or follow links within this blog to its pages.

You can find me via the About/Contact page. Till we meet again on the path . . . or something inspires me to continue here.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2020

Follow up to Last Week’s NYSTA FOIL Adventure

Look up at the sky, and what do you see? Endless space.

Something else that’s endless: the rabbit hole one falls into when making a FOIL request of the New York State Thruway Authority. Turns out I’m not alone.

CBS6 newscaster and reporter Greg Floyd described his nearly year-long attempt to get financial information about the new Capital Region Welcome Center.

And although some of the information I asked for was revealed in a press release last Friday, Records Access Officer Jill B. Warner told me:

“We are performing a diligent search for records responsive to your request. We will notify you of our progress by March 3, 2020. Copies of responsive documents are available pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law Section 87(1)(b) & (c).”

Now it’s moot; however, no one is alone for long in the NYSTA FOIL rabbit hole. My journey began with floating concrete batch plants . . .

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2020

Secret’s Out yet Some knew Ahead of Others

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The long-awaited announcement about artists whose works will be placed where on the westbound span’s side path was revealed publicly Friday (January 31) at 11 a.m.

However, it was revealed privately the day (or hours) before, evidenced by a news story published at 7:27 a.m. that day.

Timing of the nicely-explained story featuring the art in a slideshow is another example of how the state plays favorites with media. I’ve experienced it several times during the past nearly eight years I’ve written about this project.

The project’s director of communications called me Thursday night and said lots of information would be coming the next day even though word was already out. It’s not the first time a project spokesperson lied to me and either covered his tracks or denied it.

Some media are more important than others, it seems.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2020

Stalling and Deflecting: Nothing New for NYSTA

What happens when deadlines are missed, and reporters ask about them? Silence.

So much for Governor Cuomo’s talk about FOIL requests and open government.

The bike racks were to have been completed three months ago.

As I wrote in another blog post, I’m in good company: the consortium that won the contract to build the bridge that was to have opened within 62 months of its start date is one of many groups suing the New York State Thruway Authority for stalling when asked to provide public records.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2020

So Much Secrecy in the Bridge Project’s Cache

View from the EarthCam® construction camera in Tarrytown Dec. 16, 2014, at 9:30 a.m.

This is getting old.

Thruway Authority Records Access Officer Jill B. Warner repeated her sing-song reply to me years after the batch plant accident, when no one wanted the truth known that the second mobile concrete mini-factory was doomed to malfunction so it, too, was immediately shut down.

Sources told me the governor’s office reviewed each project-related FOIL request with a fine-tooth comb.

I’d asked for information about the oh-so-many-months-ago call for proposals from artists to create a mural and bicycle racks for the bridge that was to have opened five years and two months after the project began. Path’s still not open.

“The Thruway Authority acknowledges your correspondence dated January 13, 2020 which, pursuant to FOIL, requested,” Warner’s email said.

What is the agency hiding? It mocks the FOIL request by saying it is “performing a diligent search for records” about projects it initiated and “will notify (me) of (its) progress by February 19, 2020.”

When I got too close for comfort last time, one of its lawyers called me to try and silence me: going to any length to hide the truth. Small consolation knowing the agency also stalled other reporters and the bridge project’s design-build team.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2020