THE FIRST NEW SPAN OF THE GOVERNOR MARIO A; CUOMO BRIDGE (Mario Cuomo pictured) WILL OPEN FOR TRAFFIC AUGUST 25, GOVERNER ANDREW CUOMO ANNOUNCED THURSDAY
WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. July 27, 2017:
Governor Cuomo announced Thursday that the first span of the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge will open on August 25th, when westbound traffic will begin moving onto the first span.
The new bridge, on track to open in 2018 and on budget at $3.98 billion, is one of the biggest active bridge projects in the nation and the largest in the history of the New York State Thruway Authority.
“The opening of the first span of the new Mario M. Cuomo Bridge next month is a clear message that after decades of stagnation, New York is building our transportation infrastructure better, safer and more efficiently than ever,” Governor Cuomo said. “This major milestone in the project to replace the aging Tappan Zee Bridge will be the first step in alleviating congestion for commuters while offering a state-of-the-art link over the Hudson River, built to last for generations to come.”
Additionally, Governor Cuomo also announced that the Federal Aviation Administration approved the $4 billion, 37 gate Delta facility at LaGuardia Airport, the final component of the transformation of LaGuardia into a completely rebuilt, unified 21st century airport, and the U.S. Department of Transportation approved a more than $500 million loan for the Moynihan Train Hall redevelopment.
Governor Cuomo also announced that cashless tolling will be complete on all MTA bridges and tunnels by the end of 2017, already having reduced commuters’ travel time by up to nine hours since January.
The New Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
The New Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge project is recognized across the nation for its iconic design, including by President Barack Obama, who put the bridge at the top of his list of critical infrastructure priority projects.
The new bridge will connect Westchester and Rockland counties and serve as the main conduit between Upstate and the New York City metropolitan region. In all, more than 6,300 people have contributed to the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge project thus far, totaling more than 8 million hours of man power.
At the Governor’s direction, the Thruway Authority has managed this project since 2013 with two fundamental objectives, to first open the bridge in 2018, and second, finish the bridge at or below the budgeted cost of $3.98 billion.
On Friday night, August 25, the Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors will shift four lanes of westbound/northbound traffic to the new span.
The second step of moving eastbound traffic to that span will begin later this fall. The traffic will be separated by a jersey barrier and that traffic pattern will remain in effect until the second span is complete, and the bridge with both spans opens in 2018.
