Residents Looking Forward to Bike/Pedestrian Path on New Bridge

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April 4, 2016

by Rick Pezzullo

Tappan-Zee-Bridge-PAGE-7 — Construction is well underway on the new bridge. —Photo by David Rocco

Outdoor enthusiasts expressed satisfaction with plans for Shared-Use Path and Bicycle/Pedestrian Connections when the replacement crossing for the Tappan Zee Bridge is built.

A handful of bicyclists, runners and walkers offered a few suggestions to officials from the state Thruway Authority and Department of Transportation during a public hearing at Sleepy Hollow High School on March 15, including making the pathway on the new $3.9 billion bridge accessible 24 hours a day and having a signalized crosswalk at the intersection of Route 9.

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“This crossing is a very significant step for the next 50 years,” said Robert Olsen, a member of the Croton Bicycle Pedestrian Committee. “It’s an essential point for people to cross for economic development on both sides of the river but also there are support industries for people who can’t afford cars to access the Tarrytown train station for their jobs.”

Besides the pathway, 150 parking spaces (97 in Westchester) are slated to be provided.

Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell said village officials were still concerned about increased traffic spilling onto Route 9.

“Hopefully it will be an amenity that people will enjoy and not cause any problems,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Thruway Authority announced last month that cashless tolls on the existing bridge will go into effect as of April 23. Drivers will either pay the toll through their E-Z Pass account ($4.75), as more than 80 percent of motorists do, or be billed through the mail ($5), as is done on other spans in the region.

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