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New NY Bridge - Tappan Zee - main span towers poured

One of the largest US infrastructure projects is nearer completion after recent topping out of the eight main span towers of the New NY Bridge. The final concrete pour was in mid-December and all piles - more than 1,000 - have been installed in Hudson River. To date, 3,000 roadway panels for the approaches - making 5.5km in length - have been installed, according to the New York State Thruway Authority, owner of the New NY Bridge project. The New NY Bridge, also called the Tappan Zee Bridge, is on tra
December 16, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
Concrete sections being placed on approach road girders
One of the largest US infrastructure projects is nearer completion after recent topping out of the eight main span towers of the New NY Bridge.

The final concrete pour was in mid-December and all piles - more than 1,000 - have been installed in Hudson River. To date, 3,000 roadway panels for the approaches - making 5.5km in length - have been installed, according to the New York State Thruway Authority, owner of the New NY Bridge project.

The New NY Bridge, also called the Tappan Zee Bridge, is on track to open in 2018 and on budget at nearly US$4 billion. Additionally, 90% of support structures on the project have been installed, including the fabrication and placement of 126 steel girder sections.

Tappan Zee Constructors is the consortium designing and building the twin cable-stayed replacement for the old cantilever bridge, the Governor Malcolm Wilson–Tappan Zee Bridge which opened in 1955. It is usually referred to as the Tappan Zee Bridge with the Tappan Zee derived from that of the local Tappan American Indian tribe and the Dutch word zee, meaning sea.

The old 7-lane 5km-long bridge is part of the New York State Thruway system and carries the concurrency highways Interstate 87 and 287 and carries around 140,000 vehicles a day.

The new 5.5km long bridge will include eight general traffic lanes, four breakdown and emergency lanes, space for future bus rapid transit and commuter rail, a bicycle and walking path with six unique viewing areas, cashless tolling, and energy efficient LED lighting. Importantly, it should not require any major structural repairs for at least 100 years.

According to the Thruway Authority, the 128m towers stand at a five-degree angle and are the most iconic feature of the new bridge. They are nearly 31m higher than the top of the old bridge which runs beside the new structure.

Fourteen steel girder sections will be installed on the eastbound span starting next year.

Each roadway panel, for the approach roads, is 3.7m long and 28cm thick and range between 6.7-13.7m wide.

More than one third of the 192 stay cables have been fully anchored and tensioned on the main span. If laid end-to-end, the cables would stretch 22.5km. When completed, they will total almost 1,127km of metal strands.

The super crane called “I Lift NY” has been on site since river work started and will be involved with demolition of the old Tappan Zee Bridge.

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