By DEBORAH A. MILES
Gov. Eliot Spitzer handed the state Department of Transportation (DOT) the Tappan Zee Bridge project in May, which involves the management of a massive plan to replace the 51-year-old bridge.
The state Thruway Authority owns and operates the three-mile-long bridge and has led the studies and planning in a partnership with Metro North Railroad, until the governor approved the handoff to DOT.
“This is a good thing for DOT,” said Charlie Kelefant, a PEF Executive Board
member for DOT.“Originally, that project was considered a prime candidate for a major public/private partnership. They were going to privatize the bridge.”
“This puts DOT in the driver’s seat and it shows the governor’s interest in moving the project forward,” said Lou Ferrone, PEF’s statewide L-M chair for DOT. “The Thruway doesn’t have the resources to handle the project. This is significant for DOT and to show the job can get done not only thoughtfully, but also expeditiously.”
The bridge is a critical commuter link between New York City and upstate, and carries 135,000 vehicles daily. The three-mile span includes seven lanes of automotive traffic, with the center lane being able to switch between eastbound and westbound traffic depending on the prevalent commuter direction.
The Tappan Zee Bridge Corridor Review Project has a budget of nearly $57.5 million, and cost estimates for the proposed replacement range into the neighborhood of $15 billion.
Kelefant said a task force would be established to address the issues relating to the Tappen Zee.
“Just the size of the bridge, itself, is a major undertaking,” he said. “The task force will focus on several issues such as the environmental impact, air quality, noise abatement for neighboring communities, plus mass transit issues.
“The existing DOT staff will absorb most of the work. As things progress, we will find out to what extent outside contractors are needed.”
PEF Director of Civil Service Enforcement Tom Cetrino added, “Even though DOT will be in charge of the project, it does not mean it will not do a public/private partnership to finance the project. That is a possibility.”
The project is in the planning stage and construction of the new bridge with commuter rail lines is expected to begin in 2009.