Old Tappan Zee Won't Go Out Quietly

摘要

The Tappan Zee Bridge, a source of controversy and drama even before construction began on its $3.9-billion, 3.1-mile-long twin-span cable-stayed replacement, is going out with more of the same. The contractor delayed the scheduled Sept. 9 opening of the southern span of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge after workers heard a suspicious noise. The popping sound originated from the old bridge's east anchor span, prompting engineers to order an inspection of the old bridge's joints. In a Sept. 8 statement, Terry Towle, president and project executive of Tappan Zee Constructors, said, "A deviation in one of the old bridge's joints was observed. The flawed joint could possibly cause a part of the old structure to fail and fall. Due to the proximity of the old structure to the new span, we erred on the side of caution and chose to delay the traffic switch."