The New Bridge Name Contest Continues

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May 30, 2017

by Robert Kimmel

Tappan Zee Bridge name contest What name would you like to see on the New NY Bridge which will be replacing the existing Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge in 2018? Specific word has yet to come from the N.Y. Thruway Authority or officials in Albany as to whether the name will remain or will be changed.

The Hudson Independent is giving readers an opportunity to suggest a name for the new bridge and possibly win a prize by doing so. While your proposals will not have any official standing with the Thruway Authority, we would like to know your sentiments about what name the new span should acquire, possibly honoring a person or a location.

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As an incentive for participation, a $100 dining certificate will be given to an entry selected in a random drawing from the entries who are among the leader of names submitted before the June 12 deadline. A submission drawn randomly from all the entries will receive a $50 dining certificate.

While it is being built, the new span has the temporary tag, the New NY Bridge. The present Tappan Zee Bridge got its name when it was completed in 1955. Tappan Zee refers to the Dutch term given to the wide area of the Hudson River the bridge crosses. A native American tribe in the area was called “Tappan.” “Zee” is Dutch for sea.

The “Governor Malcolm Wilson” addition was added in 1994 to honor the 50th governor of New York State who served briefly, from 1973 to 1974. Wilson, who was Lieutenant Governor, moved into New York State’s top post when Governor Nelson Rockefeller left Albany, after a long term, to serve as Vice President under Gerald Ford. Most everyone omits the Governor Wilson portion of its name when referring to the existing bridge, and many rivertown residents are unaware that it is part of the bridge’s name.

To enter the contest, submit your suggestion for the bridge’s name, along with one sentence as to why you believe it should have that label, in an email to letters@thehudsonindependent.com. Include your name, email address and phone number. Submissions will be accepted through June 19. Winners will be disclosed in The Hudson Independent’s July issue, and contacted prior to that issue’s publication.

The contest, initiated in this paper’s May issue, has drawn a steady flow of responses.

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