First Span of New TZB to Open Next Friday

Next Friday evening will be a momentous occasion for Westchester County and New York State as the ribbon is cut opening the westbound span of the new Governor Mario Cuomo Tappan Zee Bridge. The opening of Rockland-bound lanes is also a major milestone in the more than 10-year effort by the Business Council which was the earliest advocate major improvements to the I-287 east-west transit corridor beginning with replacing the TZB which opened in 1955. The eastbound span is scheduled to open late this year.

BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon chaired County Executive Andy Spano’s I-287 Taskforce focusing on the TZB and commutation patterns, then chaired Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Build the Bridge Now initiative and served on the Mass Transit Taskforce which developed final recommendations for the bridge and related 287 corridor transit improvements.

“With the changing patterns of commutation in the region, the opening of the first lanes of the new bridge is very good news for the business community and economic growth,” Gordon said. “We recognized the critical economic role the bridge and the I-287 corridor played and were joined in our efforts by many others over the years. It is very rewarding to see our years of effort come to fruition.”

And this week there was more good news for mass transit in the I-287 corridor with the announcement that the bus system linking Westchester and Rockland will be extended across Westchester to Port Chester. “It’s all coming together, and we have to give Gov. Cuomo full credit for his tireless efforts to get the new bridge built,” Gordon noted.