Business Council of Westchester President and CEO Marsha Gordon was one of nine Westchester representatives named to the state”™s Mass Transit Task Force to explore short-term and long-term transit options for the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
Howard P. Milstein, New York State Thruway Authority board chairman, in announcing the 29-member task force said it will identify a range of transit solutions for the bridge and the I-287 corridor in Westchester and Rockland counties, develop funding strategies to implement and sustain transit operations and create a corridor management plan to ensure a viable transit program.
Other members from Westchester County are County Executive Robert P. Astorino; Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell; John Nonna, former county legislator and board member of the Westchester League of Conservation Voters; Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-88th District; Â White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach; Lawrence C. Salley, retired Westchester County transportation commissioner; Westchester County Legislator MaryJane Shimsky and state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-35th District.
Bidders on the bridge replacement project in their design plans were required to accommodate bus rapid transit, light rail or commuter rail on the Tappan Zee span. The Thruway Authority is expected to award a contracting consortium”™s low bid of approximately $3.14 billion at its Dec. 17 meeting.
“The first step is replacing the Tappan Zee, which has no transit capacity, with a new bridge that is ready to handle mass transit right away as a foundation,” Milstein said. While the bridge is being built, “The task force will be working on finding the best transit options for local communities.”
The task force will have one year to complete its work and make recommendations.
