Keeping up appearances can be a costly endeavor.
Ask any Hollywood starlet.
Or check in with the state Thruway Authority about the Tappan Zee Bridge.
The 3-mile-long leviathan-like superstructure has been getting little attention after receiving so much just two years ago when the $15 billion replacement cost became political fodder and transportation advocates argued over the best possible option for the 55-year-old bridge. Those options included continue maintaining the bridge, build another one with bus rapid transit lanes, build a bridge with a commuter rail system and several others.
But time moves on and well, people move on or forget.
Some 140,000-plus commuters each day pass the men and women painting, cleaning, repairing, paving and just basically maintaining the span.
Fixing the span does not come cheap.
Since 2001, $364,679,034 has been spent to maintain the bridge.
The individual contracts range in the millions of dollars.
This year, a contract was let for partial deck replacement at a cost of $148,776,700.
In 2008, a contract for steel repairs on the east deck truss and causeway spans amounted to $29,172,331.
Partial deck replacement was needed in 2005 at a cost of $146,878,378.
Back in 2001, bulkheading, sheetpiling and shore stabilization was just a song at $542,184.
More bids are being sought for future work.
It won”™t end.
The bridge”™s future appears to remain in limbo. We hear that, in all likelihood, we”™re going to get another bridge. But what”™s going to be on that bridge ”“ BRT or CRT, with perhaps HOV and HOT?
That”™s bus rapid transit, commuter rail transit, and high-occupancy vehicle and high-occupancy toll lanes. Does anyone remember when an HOV was talked about for I-287? What happened to that?
And who stands to gain from whichever plan does emerge for the Tappan Zee? What”™s in it for Westchester County? Will Rockland get the spoils?
One local developer asked recently: Why is the Westchester business community so quiet on this?
Fair question.
There”™s so much on the table right now for business people to worry about ”“ health care, taxes, late state budget and myriad other matters of concern.
But the Tappan Zee is a critical component in Westchester”™s future growth. There”™s much at stake here.
No lawmaker wants to lead the charge on behalf of the bridge, especially during an election year.
Whatever the option for the river crossing, the one thing you can count on is that there won”™t be any state or federal financing available.
