WPCNR THE TRAVELING NEWS. By John F. Bailey. September 26: The New York State Department of Transportation recommended today  New York replace the aging Tappan Zee Bridge,  with a new  bridge that could support a commuter rail line and bus line  to span the Hudson River at a cost in 2012 dollars of $16 Billion for bridge, bus/commuter equipment and infrastructure, and rail. 

The Envelope, Please, Astrid! And the Winner of the 8-Years in the Making DOT Tappan Zee Study Is  Alternative 4-C -- $16 Billion New Bridge, supporting commuter cars, Bus Rapid Transit and eventually Commuter Rail from Suffern to Tarrytown and Manhattan!

 Astrid Glynn, Chair of the New York State Department of Transportation flanked by Westchester and Rockland County Executives, Andrew Spano and Scott Vanderhoef, announced the decision five years in development, saying that the next step would  be a series of meetings across both counties to explain the new bridge concept and how it would work.

The Transmilenio (Bus Rapid Transit system) in Bogota, Columbia. The system which moves 75% of the city's commuters with frequent buses running in two directions with stations inbetween the lanes, uses about three lanes of convention automobile lanes. This shows how a successful Bus Rapid Transit System works in a multi-lane highway right of way. How such Bus Rapid Transit would work in the I-287 right of way has never been shown by the DOT to date. It will be designed according to the news conference.

She said design of the system and its effect on the Cross Westchester Expressway (new construction, station stops, place of the bus lanes, presumably),  corridor would be  discussed as part of that process. No meaty details were provided.  No proposals viewed by the public to date have not indicated specific locations for Rapid Bus Transit along I-287, nor how approaches to the bridge on both sides of the Hudson would effect the towns of Nyack, Tarrytown and Irvington.  Dates for the community meetings were not announced.

The DOT's Ms. Glynn and Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef made clear, would not start the bridge for four years (2012) and would go forward  next with developing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement by 2010, at which time when the EIS is approved, design of the new structure would begin, with construction expected to start by 2012.

No time was given when the bridge would be completed. The prospect of how the bridge would be paid for would be studied with the DOT’s financial advisor, which at the present time is Merrill-Lynch, but Glynn indicated that relationship would be watched as would the Wall Street situation.

Scott VanderHoef, the Rockland County Executive said a public private relationship with financial support from Washington was hoped for as a financial feasibility and funding search would be conducted by the DOT next.

 The cost of the project was set by Ms. Glynn as being $6.4 Billion for the new bridge, (indicated inclusive), $2.9 Billion for equipment, construction of Cross counties Bus Rapid Transit System and $6.7 Billion for the Commuter Rail from Suffern  across the new Tappan Zee Bridge to Tarrytown to connect with the Metro North Hudson Line. Total: $16 Billion.