Things that don’t go bump
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- April
- 27
So, this morning was the test for the new asphalt ramps to buffer the bump on the plates used during this round of deck replacement and joint work on the 
Tappan Zee Bridge. How did it go? From what I heard from local drivers, the ride was smooth. That was pretty much the view of drivers interviewed for the story on LoHud.
Sharon Hittman, who lives in West Nyack and commutes to Tarrytown, is a seasoned TZ bridge commuter for several years. Last summer, she spent plenty of time steaming behind the wheel in multi-mile-long traffic backups as the ramps caused traffic to come to a halt.
She and her husband carpooled this morning. Her review of the ramps? Raves. She said you could see the ramps, but couldn’t feel the bump.
“Great, great. We went over a plate and they finally listened. … they did a fantastic job.”
The New York State Thruway Authority was heavily criticized for the slow response to the traffic snarls created by the work. As the project ended, the Thruway Authority came up with solutions, including using the movable barrier to create five Westchester-bound lanes during the morning commute.This time, though, it seems pre-planning paid off.
As Nyacker wrote on today’s story chat about the smooth ride:
I’m the first one to criticize the NYSTA for their complete mis-management of the TZB (and general poor condition of the Thruway) but I have to commend them on this current solution. I barely even noticed I was driving over the road plates this morning.
But, this begs the question of why it took them over a year to figure this out.Photo: Asphalt ramps lead up to a steel plate on the westboud Tappan Zee Bridge toay. ( Peter Carr / The Journal News )
This entry was posted
on Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 7:29 pm by Nancy Cutler.
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