Wed June 30 4p-8p Meeting at Palisades Mall
The times when the average person can have an impact on a $16B project planned to last 100 years are few and far between. Two of those times occur this week when the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project hosts open houses asking the public to weigh in on plans for a replacement TZB and regional transit system.
Rockland County residents are invited to The Palisades Center’s 4th floor Adler Community Room on Wednesday 6/30 from 4p-8p. On Monday 6/28, officials will hear from the public at the Westchester Marriott from 4-8p.
“I can not stress too strongly the importance of the June 30th meeting,” says Marie Lorenzini, a former Nyack Trustee and the village’s liaison to Tappan Zee Bridge project. “We in the village must be cognizant of their plans so that we can determine how it will effect the village and what we need to accomplish for Transit Oriented Development (TOD).”
The TZB task force will present three single-level and three dual-level bridge configurations for public input. All alternatives include eight car/truck lanes and two dedicated bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes. Two commuter rail tracks (CRT) and a bike/pedestrian path have also been included in the plans.
The meeting is an opportunity for the public to learn about how the new bridge will specifically affect the river villages. Although final locations aren’t etched in stone, here’s what officials have been told:
- CRT Station — The Commuter Rail Transit service will offer a one seat ride to Grand Central. Nyack’s closest CRT station will be at the Palisades Mall.
- BRT Station — A new Bus Rapid Transit service will operate along 287 shuttling commuters and shoppers between Suffern and Port Chester. A BRT station, which will include a 500 car parking garage, is tentatively planned for placement behind the Brinks Memorial on the 287 on-ramp in Nyack. Transportation officials are also considering creating a dedicated “busway” lane on 287 for the BRT service.
- A Bike Path will run on the North side of the new TZB and will connect with the Esposito Rail Trail in South Nyack.
- Exit 10 in South Nyack, which now requires Westbound motorists to make a 360 degree turn before exiting 287, will be redesigned into a diamond configuration. South Nyack residents are hopeful that some of the property freed up by the realignment can be reclaimed by the village and turned into a “lid park.”
Although design plans continue to move forward, less progress has been made on finding financing for the anticipated $16B project.
Sources: Journal News 6/25, Mobilizing The Region 6/24, Times-Herald Record 6/25, Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project
See Also: South Nyack Comprehensive Plan, 6/18/2010
Photo Credit: Evan Marchesini