Tappan Zee Bridge deck components will become part of two upstate spans
The Tappan Zee Bridge is gone but not forgotten. And it's still useful.
Recycled components of the iconic bridge — opened in December 1955 and demolished in 2017 — will help rehab two upstate spans.
Deck panels from the Tappan Zee Bridge are included in plans for a $4.8 million replacement of bridges carrying State Route 248 over Sugar Creek and Bennetts Creek in the Town of Canisteo in Steuben County, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.
One re-used deck panel will be placed on newly constructed abutments to replace the aging Sugar Creek Bridge, built in 1939. Another deck panel will become part of a multi-girder bridge replacing the Bennetts Creek span, built in 1974.
Hochel said the recycled components will save money as part of a state program to maintain the infrastructure and boost the regional economy.
“These bridge projects will provide improved mobility and resiliency for decades to come, making it easier for residents and visitors alike to travel through the Western Southern Tier and enjoy all the region has to offer," Hochul said in a statement. "And by using recycled components from the Tappan Zee Bridge, we are also saving time and reducing costs.”
State Route 248 is a main access road for downtown Canisteo, about 70 miles south of Rochester. The replacement of the Sugar Creek and Bennetts Creek bridges compliments the state Department of Transportation's $8.6 million investment in the village’s downtown area that was completed last year.
Both bridges will utilize weather-resistant concrete and other materials to improve resiliency against severe weather. The spans also will have wider shoulders to better accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians. Those amenities are featured on the span that replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge, the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.
Many felt ties to the Tappan Zee Bridge
Using recycled components gives life to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Hundreds gathered on the Hudson River shoreline to watch the state start to demolish the Tappan Zee on Jan. 15, 2019.
More: Watching Tappan Zee's historic splash into the Hudson: #lohudreacts
Many Rockland and Westchester residents and others still refuse to acknowledge the replacement span as the Cuomo bridge, clinging to calling the modernized bridge the TZ or Tappan Zee.
“The Tappan Zee Bridge lives on with new purpose," Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare said Thursday. "The Thruway Authority decided years ago to set aside these concrete deck panels so that they could be strategically reused across New York State.”
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Tappan Zee Bridge decks will be used to refurbish upstate NY bridges
