TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE/I-287 CORRIDOR PROJECT HOSTS OPEN HOUSES

ALBANY, NY (06/25/2010)(readMedia)-- The leaders of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) and Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Railroad (MNR) today announced that the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project will be hosting open houses to present the results of its analysis of transit and bridge options. The events will be held in Westchester and Rockland counties on June 28th and June 30, 2010, respectively. Both open houses will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (location details below).

The project sponsors are looking at bridge and transit alternatives within the 30-mile, I-287 corridor between Suffern and Port Chester to determine how best to address the immediate needs of one of the corridor's most important infrastructure elements -- the Tappan Zee Bridge – and associated regional congestion and mobility challenges.

At the open houses, study team members will explain the options that were derived, in large part, from more than 30 municipal and community working meetings held last fall with local government officials and members of the public. Local leaders and constituents were able to weigh in on a number of options associated with each alternative being considered. That effort, in addition to the technical analyses conducted by project engineers, resulted in the transit alignments and bridge configurations being presented at the open houses. The project team will consider public comments received at the open houses before narrowing the alignments and configurations that will be considered moving forward.

NYSDOT is the lead agency managing the study in coordination with NYSTA and MNR and in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.

"We are encouraged by the progress that has been made on the project, and are especially pleased to be able to present to the public the results of an exhaustive study of options before we advance to the detailed analyses of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)," Acting Transportation Commissioner Stanley Gee said. "We have considered every comment we've received and look forward to continued public involvement in the development of this important project."

Thruway Authority Executive Director Michael Fleischer said, "By asking questions and sharing their views about various bridge configurations and transit options, the public's continued

participation has been instrumental in the development of the right transportation solutions for the Corridor. These community sessions will provide even more opportunities for the public to speak with the Project Team. And while the process of finding the best transportation solution for this region continues, the Authority will continue to fulfill its responsibility to maintain and operate the Tappan Zee Bridge by continuing to make the necessary investments to assure safe and efficient travel for the millions of motorists that use the bridge annually."

Metro-North President Howard Permut said, "We're excited that the environmental study is moving forward with the benefit of extensive public review and hundreds of comments from officials, community residents and stakeholders throughout the region. This plan includes a transit system that will grow with the region, easing congested highways and reducing east-west travel times. We encourage the public to continue participating in this planning process and look forward to further collaboration as the project plan develops."

The open houses will be held at the following times and locations:

Westchester County

Monday, June 28, 2010, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

The Westchester Marriott Hotel

Grand Ballroom

670 White Plains Road

Tarrytown, NY 10591

Rockland County

Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Palisades Center

Adler Community Room

1000 Palisades Center Drive

West Nyack, NY 10994

The open houses will feature large presentation boards depicting local transit alignment and bridge configuration options, highway improvement options, as well as information on the DEIS alternatives, and the environmental review process.

Additionally, there will be informational video: one on the project's two transit modes -- bus rapid transit (BRT) and commuter rail transit (CRT) -- and one on the project background. Information stations will be staffed by project team members, who will be on hand to explain project details, answer questions and capture comments for consideration by the study team.

There are five project alternatives: a No-Build alternative, which serves as a baseline measure, and four remaining ("Build") alternatives, all of which call for CRT service extending from Suffern, across Rockland County and the new Tappan Zee Bridge to Grand Central Terminal via MNR's Hudson Line. The Build alternatives differ in how BRT would move across the corridor – in a dedicated bus way separated by a physical barrier, a dedicated bus lane with buses only, or with buses and high occupancy vehicle/toll traffic.

Open house attendees requiring special accommodations, such as those with disabilities, language barriers aside from Spanish (Spanish language literature and translators will be in attendance), or who have other impairments to effective participation are asked to contact the project office at 914-358-0600 to make arrangements.

About the Project

The Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project began in early 2001 and has since held a variety of public meetings in order to help determine how best to address the mobility and safety needs of the 30-mile I-287 corridor, which includes the Tappan Zee Bridge. In 2008, the team announced its recommendation that the bridge be replaced and that bus rapid transit and commuter rail transit be the transit modes to serve the corridor. After presenting its findings at next week's open houses, the project team will continue its study effort, factoring stakeholder input received at the open houses, issuing a DEIS and holding public hearings. The DEIS is, in short, a study process and documentation of existing conditions and the potential impacts of a major project on the physical and social environment of surrounding areas.

The three-mile, seven-lane Tappan Zee Bridge carries the New York State Thruway across the Hudson River, making it a vital transportation link in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region. The corridor serves as a major commuter route between Orange and Rockland counties on the west and Westchester County and southeastern Connecticut on the east.

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