WPCNR Tappan Zee Times. By John F. Bailey. March 17, 2008: The new Cross Westchester Expressway construction between the Bronx River Parkway and Harrison currently in process is not going to be the infrastructure for any future East-West super transit bus/highway/rail corridor in the Tappan Zee Bridge-I-287 redesign currently under consideration. Any new construction would have to be built separately and accommodate it, the Tappan Zee project director told WPCNR today.
The Current I-287 White Plains Corridor Construction Project: Any new Tappan Zee 287 Corridor would "accommodate it."
The Tappan Zee Bridge, I-287 Corridor Project Director, Michael Anderson, told WPCNR whatever the final decision is on a combination of bridge design, bus, rail or highway corridors is best to ready the aging Tappan Zee-I-287 corridor for the rest of the 21st century, it will be designed independent of the construction now being executed (at great inconvenience and impact on White Plaisn) for 1.8 miles of the I-287 expressway in the White Plains area.
“The current project (Stage III) was designed and will be completed (mid-2010) long before (the Tappan Zee-I-287 project),” Anderson said, “We have no plans of undoing or significantly changing it. Any new (Tappan Zee corridor) design would have to be self-supporting that would accommodate anything we’ve already designed.” Anderson is shown at a Scoping Hearing on the project in February
Asked if the current construction that is replacing nine bridges, one new bridge, and has included two building removals, once completed could be double-decked or accommodate any commuter bus rapid transit or commuter rail, Anderson said the I-287 project in White Plains now under construction, Anderson said it would not.
“ The (present project underway) could not in any way accommodate any bus (or rail) rapid transit system. Any I-287 redesign (as part of Tappan Zee-I-287 corridor project) in the area would have to be designed to have the least amount of impact on the present I-287. We will not undo what we’re already doing.”
Anderson said the current construction makes no provisions for any part of the Tappan Zee- I-287 redesign to come. He said there were no plans to alter the Stage III project at this time.
Last Tuesday, a spokesperson for the I-287 Cross Westchester Expressway Stage III project, Greg Kissloff, could not answer whether the infrastructure beingrebuilt as part of Stage III could accommodate double-decking or any building up in the future from any Tappan Zee-I-287 corridor resign, referred WPCNR to the Department of Transportation to answer the question.
According to Mr. Anderson today any new design of the I-287 to ready the corridor for the Tappan Zee “solution,” would be a completely new system of highway or transit options.
In February, documents presented at the series of Scoping Sessions on the Tappan Zee Corridor project indicated a final preferred alternative would be arrived at late 2009.
The 1.8 Mile stretch of reconstructed I-287 is scheduled to open in July, 2010, according to Kissloff.
Once the preferred alternative is chosen, then the design process would begin. According to the packet distributed at the Scoping session,
“Because the transportation needs of the corridor require a multi-modal solution, the highway, the bridge, and transit elements are intricately tied to one another and require iterative and concurrent development, analysis and consideration up to the decision on mode and alignment. Once the transit mode (bus or commuter, or light rail) and alignment decisions are made, the analysis can focus on the needs of the corridor which includes the structural needs of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge and associated highway network, while preserving the transit corridor in the existing right of way. It is anticipated that a subsequent NEPA (National Environment Policy Act) action will address station locations, vehicle types, storage facilities, site specific impacts and mitigation measures.”
Light Rail in Zagreb, Croatia downtown. Light Rail is an option being considered by the Tappan Zee Corridor project. Photo by Janine Kateff.
The Transmilenio (Bus Rapid Transit system) in Bogota, Columbia. The system which moves 75% of the city's commuters with frequent buses running in two directions with stations inbetween the lanes, uses about three lanes of convention automobile lanes.
