TappanZeeBridge.org
Title
Tappan Zee Bridge - Home
Description
Excerpted from the website description:
- Tappan Zee Bridge,1952,1955,1994,Barrier transfer machine,Bear Mountain Bridge,Cantilever bridge, Westchester, Nyack, Tarrytown, New York, Rockland
Languages
English
Additional Information
The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge, almost always referred to as the Tappan Zee Bridge or simply the Tappan Zee (though this can cause confusion with the body of water for which it is named) is a cantilever bridge in New York over the Hudson River at its widest point, the Tappan Zee, named for an Indian tribe from the area called the "Tappan" ("Zee" being the Dutch word for "sea"). In 1994, the name of Malcolm Wilson, a former Governor of New York was added to the bridge's name, though it is almost never used when the bridge is spoken about colloquially. It connects Nyack in Rockland County with Tarrytown in Westchester County. Construction started in March 1952 and it was opened for traffic on December 15, 1955. The total length of the bridge and approaches is 16,013 feet (just over 3 miles, 4.881 km). The cantilever span is 1212 feet (369.42 meters) providing a 138-foot (42-meter) clearance over the water. The bridge is located about 25 miles north of Midtown Manhattan and the Manhattan skyline can easily been seen from the bridge on a clear day.
The bridge is part of the New York State Thruway mainline, and also designated as Interstate 87 and Interstate 287. The span carries seven lanes of automotive traffic, with the center lane being switchable between eastbound and westbound traffic depending on the prevalent commuter direction. On business days, the center lane is eastbound in the morning and westbound in the evening. This is accomplished via a movable center barrier that is moved by a pair of barrier transfer machines, though traffic along I-87/I-287 is frequently very slow across the bridge, and it's usually the highlight of rush-hour traffic reports.
Most eastbound car traffic is subject to a toll of $4.00 as of July, 2006, payable in cash or via E-ZPass.
