WHAT TO WATCH FOR WHEN THE MARIO A. CUOMO BRIDGE OPENS (WESTBOUND ONLY)

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4-shocker of the week

WPCNR WESTCHESTER TOMORROW. By John F. Bailey. August 15, 2017:

I took a roadtrip to Pennsylvania last week to visit family and had the opportunity to go across the old Tappan Zee Bridge, and got a first hand look up close and girder personal at the new Mario A. Cuomo Bridge set to open in three days in the westbound direction (4 Lanes).

When you approach it for the first time leaving Westchester particularly on Friday evening, will traffic be smoother or worse?

Will the sharp swing northwest to mount the new grade up the bridge cause more slowdown or less? Remember the backup that always happens now because of the insane Tarrytown exit? That is still going to be there.

Will drivers run into a slowdown due to the S curve down hill from the 100 foot higher new bridge lanes? Drivers have to swing left going down a curve then swing right to motor onto the unchanged westbound thruway lanes, and we knowhow that backs up every day of the week, don’t we?

I certainly do not wish the bridge a bad first outing, but the real test will come when the Eastbound new bridge span opens.

Because the new span is approximately 100 feet above the old causeway leading up to the present bridge, drivers will have a steeper climb (though straighter. That climb up the incline has the potential to back up the new eastbound lanes more. The “S” approach onto the new eastbound causeway with the eastbound old thruway lanes swinging left, then swinging right in an S, that is really I think going to slow that eastbound morning traffic way lot. The long curve in one direction and a soft one that follows on the present bridge really does damage to vehicle speed.

But the reason I do not think the traffic speed will improve any eastern side opens, the hapless bridge has no ability to get  its 4 lanes of eastbounders past the impass of the three lane I-287 eastbound merge. You’ve got 4 lanes going into three. You got new bridge old highway combination. No fix in sight for years. No express bus exclusive lane in sight.

 

 

 

 

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