The Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project is nearing another construction milestone this week, as crews are performing concrete pours to complete installation of the final concrete road deck panel on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge's still-under-construction span.
The deck panels sit on top of the steel girders and provide the foundation for the road on which drivers will travel when the span opens to Westchester-bound traffic later this year.
Early last month, crews installed the final steel girder on the $3.9 billion bridge's eastbound span-to-be, connecting the bridge to the Rockland shore. That work made it an unbroken structure across the Hudson River. But deck panels still needed to be installed, plus asphalt poured and other, smaller work done before cars can cross it.
Officials have not put a firm date on when the second span would open, only saying that it would be late this year. Demolition of the old Tappan Zee Bridge needs to be completed before the project can be considered complete. In May, the middle of the old bridge's main span was lowered onto a barge using hydraulic jacks in an operation that took 27 hours.
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Source: The Journal News/lohud
