New York's Bridge Too Far: Tappan Zee Still Standing But For How Long?

 

The Tappan Zee Bridge has long been News Copy's pet peeve.  It's a metaphor for the state.

And it's due to fall into the Hudson.

No fatalism intended.  It's inevitable.  Rockland and Westchester Counties without a way to get to work, a few states impacted by an intolerable break in commerce, threats to the safety of drivers and a reckless bureaucracy failing to take care of the basics.

Lions and tigers and bears ... Oh my!!!

Hat tip to John Hawkins of Right Wing News who noted this piece by liberal New York Times columnist Bob Herbert on infrastructure.

What's Wrong With Us?

"It’s easy, especially in tough economic times, to push aside infrastructure initiatives, including basic maintenance and repair, in favor of issues that seem more pressing or more appealing. But this misses the point that infrastructure spending that is thoughtful and wise is an investment, a crucial investment in the nation’s future — and it’s a world-class source of high-value jobs."

New York state officials announced nearly 18 monts ago a plan to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge with a new bridge that includes commuter-train tracks and lanes for high-speed buses.

That bridge would cost $6.4 billion, while adding bus lanes from Suffern to Port Chester would cost $2.9 billion. Adding a rail line from the Metro-North station in Suffern and across the bridge, connecting with Metro-North’s Hudson Line south of Tarrytown, would cost another $6.7 billion.

As of December of last year, reviews for environmental impact and public input continued to delay the $16 billion project (which will be much more ten years from now when lawmakers are still debating what to do.

It never ends.

Ten years ago, the following article appeared in the New York Times, A Bridge Too Long; The Cost of Urban Sprawl: Unplanned Obsolescence:

"... a task force appointed by Gov. George E. Pataki called for a $4 billion project to replace the bridge."

$4 billion.

"The Tappan Zee Bridge may be something of a special case. It is severely overcrowded, handling 130,000 vehicles a day, 30 percent over capacity. (The planners envision an increase from seven lanes to eight.) And because it is so long -- built at the Hudson's widest point to escape the 25-mile jurisdiction of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- it is unusually expensive to maintain, repair and, if necessary, replace."

It is severely overcrowded ...

... Ten years ago.

What are lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and Albany waiting for, its steel hulk to lay at the bottom of the Hudson River?

It's a metaphor for the state.