Uh-o at the Mario
Ribbon cut, but Zee woes threaten new span
Big bridge, big scissors, big problems.
A day after an elaborate ribbon-cutting ceremony, the grand opening of the second span of the new Gov. Mario M. Cuomo bridge was postponed over concerns that the remains of the “destabilized” and “dangerous” Tappan Zee Bridge could collapse.
The Westchester-bound lanes of the new span were set to take traffic after Gov. Cuomo cut the ribbon on the bridge named for his late father on Friday, in an event that featured his mother, Matilda, Chappaqua resident Hillary Clinton and Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1923 Packard.
“Big bridge, big scissors,” the governor said at the ceremony.
Hours later, engineers taking down the rusting remains of the 62-year-old Tappan Zee heard a “pop” around 5:30 p.m. Friday, sparking fears that part of the structure could come crashing down on motorists in the new lanes. Traffic was scheduled to flow starting less than six hours later.
Only 160 feet separate the remaining towers of the old bridge from its replacement.
Terry Towle, the chief executive officer of Tappan Zee Constructors, the contractor tasked with dismantling the old steel span, said he made the decision to halt the lane switch “out of an abundance of caution.”
Workers finishing up their shift “heard a loud noise, a large pop, from the old bridge,” Towle explained.
“There’s a slight possibility that these joints could fail, and, if they fail, that the bridge could potentially slowly fall,” he added. “There was a theoretical possibility it could fall toward the eastbound span.”
Engineers on Saturday deemed that there was no immediate danger, but the eastbound lanes will remain closed for the time being, Towles said, adding that the whole episode was “somewhat of an embarrassment.”
Matthew Driscoll, head of the New York State Thruway Authority added that “given its proximity to the new completed span, out of an abundance of caution, motorists will remain in the current traffic configuration until a thorough evaluation by Tappan Zee Constructors is complete.”
The dangerous discovery not only slowed traffic, but also led the Coast Guard to completely bar boaters from cruising below the teetering trestle overnight.
“Due to the uncertainty and need to ascertain the potential impact of a collapse, it was requested the Coast Guard institute an emergency safety zone,” the agency said. The western part of the river was open on Saturday to vessels that checked with the Coast Guard patrol commander on duty.
Cuomo said Saturday that he was monitoring the situation, but he couldn’t say when the lanes would reopen.
“I’ve talked to all the parties involved, we have engineers looking at it, running through models of what the damage of the old bridge means,” he said. “Could a piece fall, how big of a piece, how much, and what can we do about it.”
Less than 24 hours after cutting the ceremonial ribbon, Cuomo was sliced up by his Democratic primary challenger and the Republican nominee for governor.
“Safety has to come above all else, and the governor needs to be fully transparent about what happened here,” Cynthia Nixon, who is running against Cuomo in Thursday’s primary, said in a statement. “A ribbon-cutting ceremony should not have been held if the bridge span was not yet safe.”
Nixon went on to question whether the timing of the ceremony was suspect.
“There are real, reasonable questions about whether this bridge span opening was accelerated to aid the governor’s campaign,” she said. “Gov. Cuomo needs to answer those questions swiftly, and allow for an expedited FOIL process. There must also be an investigation.”
Towle said that the decision to open the new span a week before the Democratic primary was his decision, not Cuomo’s.
Marc Molinaro, the Republican nominee for governor, also pounced on the chance to slam the incumbent.
“It’s now clearer than ever that the bridge was opened to meet Gov. Cuomo’s political timetable without regard to public safety,” he said. “Our first priority must be the safety of motorists and to ensure that the entirety of the new bridge is safe and that deconstruction of the old span can be completed without danger.”