NEW YORK | Mario Cuomo (Tappan Zee) Bridge

[NYguy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/ny...=nyregion&_r=0

New York State Board Approves Reduced $256 Million Loan for Tappan Zee Project


By JOSEPH BERGER
JULY 16, 2014

After a last-minute deal that cut the money requested in half, a key state board on Wednesday approved a $256 million loan from federal clean-water funds to the New York State Thruway Authority to help finance the building of a $3.9 billion twin-span replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Environmental and transportation advocacy groups, including Hudson Riverkeeper, had assailed the loan as a distortion of the federal Clean Water Act, which was created largely for building water treatment plants and other water-cleansing projects. They were joined by legislators including State Senator Bill Perkins, a Democrat from Manhattan, and by an association of municipalities in Westchester County.

In last-minute conversations among Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat; Sheldon Silver, the Democratic speaker of the State Assembly; and State Senator John A. DeFrancisco, the Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the originally proposed $511 million loan was cut almost exactly in half, according to a former state legislator who spoke to all parties.

The loan was also limited to, as Mr. Silver said in a statement, “projects already undertaken and to be undertaken before the federal fiscal year.”

That restriction seemed to satisfy Mr. DeFrancisco, who was worried that financing for the bridge was dependent on still undetermined toll increases, and Mr. Silver, who was facing pressure from Assembly members aligned with environmentalists.

.....Projects that will be covered by the loan include dredging the river bottom, restoring disturbed oyster beds and installing “bubble curtains” to protect sturgeon from underwater construction noise. It will not, however, cover a bicycle and pedestrian path along the new bridge nor the dismantling of the current bridge.

Thomas J. Madison, the Thruway Authority’s executive director, hailed the loan in a statement, and called it a “first installment” on the $511 million originally requested, saying the agency planned to secure another $256 million loan in 2016.

[chris08876]

Tappan Zee Bridge tolls could more than double


Best guess for new Tappan Zee toll: $10 to $14

The loan was one of several factors that will determine future toll hikes on the bridge, according to Howard Milstein, who is overseeing the construction as chairman of the Thruway Authority, at a Crain's conference earlier this week. Tolls on the original Tappan Zee Bridge have been kept low relative to other bridges in the area but will have to rise to help defray construction costs on its replacement span.

"We're going to have a new bridge, I can't imagine that anyone would think that it's going to cost less than $9 or $10," said Mr. Milstein at the conference. "One of the governor's aides mentioned $14 in the past. I would hope and expect that it's going to be less than that, but we don't know what interest rates will be and we don't know what the final numbers are."

The $5 toll on the old Tappan Zee brings in about $135 million in tolls a year, said Mr. Milstein, but the new bridge will have an effective 10 lanes, bringing in additional drivers. The Thruway Authority won $1.6 billion in low-interest loans from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) in December, the largest loan in the history of the program.

Tappan Zee will be the first new bridge in 50 years, and is on track to be completed in record time, and $2 billion less than originally estimated.

===================================
BY MARK FAHEY
JULY 17, 2014
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...re-than-double
===================================

Best guess for new Tappan Zee toll: $10 to $14

• Video Link
Published on Jul 17, 2014
Crain's New York Business

[Perklol]

Those aren't 'outrageous' prices as predicted by some.

Also, It's time for tolls on free East River Bridges to/from Manhattan Island.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by Eveningsong

Those aren't 'outrageous' prices as predicted by some.

Also, It's time for tolls on free East River Bridges to/from Manhattan Island.

I've heard of that plan. I think those bridges should remain free. Tolls would only magnify the traffic, plus, how many more tolls does the city really need? I'm all for mass transit don't get me wrong, but lets cut the drivers a little slack.

[Perklol]

The 'it' is supposed to be lower case. I added the word "also" at the last minute and didn't notice until now.

[BiggieSmalls]

The tolls are actually much much higher for multi axle vehicles and Semi tractor trailers.

Passenger cars are $5.00

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by Eveningsong

Those aren't 'outrageous' prices as predicted by some.

Also, It's time for tolls on free East River Bridges to/from Manhattan Island.

Eh, people's views of what constitutes "outrageous" are rather widely varied. Coming from a state with no toll roads I find $10 a trip to be rather absurd. If you were driving across this bridge to work every day that would be $2,500 just in tolls. That's 5% of the median family's income just in tolls for one bridge. I guess if think the point of a toll is to reduce the number of people using a road or bridge then it makes sense, but if the point is to raise money then I would say just raise the gas tax which is already desperately needed.

[drumz0rz]

NY already has the highest gas tax. No thank you.

[Mikemike]

Thee smart thing to do would be to raise the tolls to the lower end of the expected necessary tolls now, prior to construction, and see what happens to traffic. maybe if the toll were $10 traffic would fall enough that the new bridge could be 8 lanes. It could even drop enough that the existing bridge could handle the traffic.

[scalziand]

^Capacity is a secondary reason for replacing the bridge. It's falling apart already as it is.

[Hudson11]

i'm guessing that's the Left Coast Lifter still sitting down in the harbor? photo is dated the 7th.


Donatello parmi les fauves by Javier on Flickr

[Design-mind]

Originally Posted by Hudson11

i'm guessing that's the Left Coast Lifter still sitting down in the harbor? photo is dated the 7th.

I also had taken a similar photo (dated July 20th) and was wondering if indeed that was the West Coast lifter. So it was there July 20th.

[Perklol]

Originally Posted by NYguy

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=6415

Reminds me of chopsticks. Not a bad design though

[scalziand]

It still is pretty much the ugliest design they picked though.

My favorite:

[Sic'EmBears]

Not sure if the webcam has been posted or not...here it is:

http://newnybridgegallery.com/webcam

[drumz0rz]

I was sailing in the harbor on Wednesday. Maybe I just didn't see it, but I don't think the Left Coast Lifter was there anymore...

Edit: Actually, It may still be there, I have a photo that might just show the edge of it, I think they've lowered the booms which could signal they're packaging it to move again.

[vandelay]

This bridge looks like HAH HAH.

[NYdude]

Yay for higher tolls! Just kidding. I only use the TZB since it's not outrageous like the tolls on the GWB whenever I need to get into the city. Well this should interesting seeing how high the tolls get

[Rail>Auto]

It's a shame the old one can't stay as a ped bridge or even a hotel like they tried in Cincy.

[Perklol]

Originally Posted by scalziand

It still is pretty much the ugliest design they picked though.
My favorite:

Ooo I agree that looks better.