New Tappan Zee Bridge

The new Tappan Zee Bridge is a new, twin cable-stayed bridge being built to replace the current Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge over New York's Hudson River. Construction began in 2013, with partial opening expected in 2017 and full opening targeted for 2018.BackgroundThe original Tappan Zee Bridge is a cantilever bridge built during 1952–55. The bridge is long and spans the Hudson at its second-widest point. The Tappan Zee river crossing was named by 17th century Dutch settlers. The Tappan Zee Bridge, along with the smaller Bear Mountain Bridge, are the only crossings of the Tappan Zee, a 33mi stretch of river that passes through New York City's populous northern suburbs.The deteriorating current structure bears an average of 138,000 vehicles per day, substantially more traffic than its designed capacity. During its first decade, the bridge carried fewer than 40,000 vehicles per day. Part of the justification for replacing the bridge stems from its construction immediately following the Korean War on a low budget of only $81 million. Unlike other major bridges in metropolitan New York, the Tappan Zee Bridge was designed to last only 50 years. The new bridge is intended to last at least 100 years.