Keeping the Tap tiptop By BRYAN F. YURCAN

Keeping the Tap tiptop
By BRYAN F. YURCAN

As the debate about the future of the Tappan Zee Bridge and I-287 corridor continues, so continues the task of keeping the span in shape.

Last week, the New York State Thruway Authority conducted routine repairs on the bridge. The Thruway Authority is also in the midst of a deck replacement project, which is expected to be completed in the fall of 2008.

Ramesh Metha, New York State Thruway division director, said the original deck of the bridge, “lasted longer than it should have,” and will be reinforced and renovated more in line with current bridge standards.

Metha said the bridge is completely safe and commuters should not be concerned about a structural collapse.

But he said the bridge, which opened in 1955, does require constant upkeep and maintenance.

“Normally, the deck life (of a bridge) does not last beyond 50 years, we are a little late,” he said. “We’ll be a little over that when the deck replacement is done.”

The Tappan Zee is a deck truss bridge, meaning the roadbed is atop the truss, similar to the I-35W bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis.

Metha said the Tappan Zee is being inspected and “so far it’s all right.”

While the bridge can continue to be maintained and repaired “for a long time,” said Metha, at some point it will cease to be cost-effective, making it imperative for a decision to be reached on the future of the bridge.

Further, the amount of vehicles traveling over the bridge is more than was ever envisioned when the bridge was built, and will only continue to increase.

“There are too many vehicles, you can’t continue with the bridge the way it is or it will severely impact the quality of life for commuters,” he said.

Metha believes the state will make a decision on the future of the bridge and a mass transit option by the end of 2008. If all goes well, a new bridge and mass transit component could be completed by 2015.

That is also a hope shared by Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern.

Although talk of a new bridge and mass transit system has been bandied about for at least 10 years, Jaffee believes a decision will be made soon because of the initiative shown by Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

“He has been really involved and shown that this is a priority for him,” she said.

Jaffee too believes a decision will be finalized by the end of next year.

After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Jaffee heard from several constituents who expressed concerns about the state of the Tappan Zee.

That spurred her to conduct a public meeting earlier this month with representatives from the Thruway Authority.

She believes residents who came and heard about the state of the bridge were reassured of the safety of it. But she said some of the residents of her district are concerned that a new mass transit system could impact their quality of life.

“A lot of people are concerned about land-taking,” she said.

Jaffee said she has not personally endorsed any of the transit options yet because “it’s still too early to tell which one might be best.”

But she said the state should give consideration to an option that could connect with New Jersey Transit’s “Access to the Region’s Core” project, which would connect the Main-Bergen and Passaic Valley lines into Manhattan’s Penn Station -- giving commuters from Rockland and northern New Jersey a one-seat ride to the city for the first time.

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