Proponents for a new Tappan Zee Bridge and rapid transit system on the Interstate 287 corridor will likely not get their holiday wish of a quick decision by the state on when or how such a project should proceed.
The state Department of Transportation, which was appointed in August by Gov. Eliot Spitzer to head the Tappan Zee replacement project, will continue to conduct public hearings and forums into the new year, said Skip Carrier, a spokesman for the DOT.
“We”™re still in the middle of that process and we will continue to pursue public input,” he said. “At some point we will get to a final recommendation, but not in the immediate future.”
While most are in agreement that an effective public transportation system is needed for the Westchester-Rockland corridor, debate has continued over whether a bus rapid transit (BRT) model or commuter rail would be the ideal solution.
The state outlined six possible options for the future of the corridor during a media briefing last winter. They ranged from a mass-transit system complete with commuter rail and new bridge, to a BRT system and a new bridge, to not having a new bridge at all.
Carrier said the state would need funding from the federal government to replace the bridge and build a transit system, which could cost anywhere from $12 billion to $15 billion.
He acknowledged the bridge would likely need to be replaced. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council has projected that the Tappan Zee could reach 200,000 vehicles daily by 2025. Built in 1955, the bridge was designed to handle 85,000 vehicles a day.
“The Tappan Zee is clearly one of those older structures that will require us to do something,” he said.
Marsha Gordon, president of The Business Council of Westchester and co-chairwoman of the Westchester-Rockland Futures Task Force, said she was pleased the DOT is collecting as much public input as possible before making a recommendation.
“We understand the DOT is going back and examining all the alternatives based on feedback they”™ve gotten. That”™s a good thing,” she said.
Still, Gordon is hopeful the agency will make a final recommendation on the future of the bridge and the 287 corridor, and that the state can begin to implement it sometime in 2008.
“It”™s imperative that the project continue to move forward expeditiously so the best alternative can be found,” she said.
Gordon said the Business Council is most concerned with east-west mobility along the corridor and believes a rail system is the best option for alleviating that congestion.
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Kate Slevin, executive director of the New York City-based Tri-State Transportation Campaign, said the state should do more to educate stakeholders about the repercussions of sprawling development patterns and promote transit-oriented development hubs.
“You don”™t want to put a transit station in a town where people don”™t want it,” she said.
She said the state should pursue transit-oriented development, which means building mixed-use projects around transportation hubs, such as bus or rail stations.
Slevin also said relieving east-west congestion along the corridor is of the utmost importance, but thinks the BRT is more of an effective way of alleviating that than rail.
“The studies show that BRT will reduce congestion more on the future bridge,” she said.
Slevin said the transportation campaign supports all forms of public transportation on the corridor, but believes the BRT is the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly and would have the highest ridership.
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