Tappan Zee takedown into the Hudson River

A controlled explosion demolished the eastern span of the old cantilever Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River near New York City. The bridge, nearly 5km long, was opened in 1955 to carry traffic between the southern New England area and other regions west of the Hudson. Around 140,000 vehicles used the bridge daily. But the old bridge had deteriorated substantially and would have been too expensive to maintain or keep open for lighter traffic use. It became redundant after the new bridge of the
January 17, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
A controlled explosion demolished the eastern span of the old cantilever Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River near New York City.


The bridge, nearly 5km long, was opened in 1955 to carry traffic between the southern New England area and other regions west of the Hudson. Around 140,000 vehicles used the bridge daily.

But the old bridge had deteriorated substantially and would have been too expensive to maintain or keep open for lighter traffic use. It became redundant after the new bridge of the same name, built parallel to it, opened last year. The remaining span will be dismantled later this year.

The new twin cable-stayed Tappan Zee Bridge, officially named the Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge after former New York governor Mario Cuomo, carries the carries the I-87 and I-287. It also has a shared bicycle and pedestrian lane. Construction of the new bridge started in 2013 and the north span was opened in August 2017 with all lanes opened by last September.

The Tappan Zee is named for an American Indian tribe from the area called Tappan while the word Zee mean sea in Dutch, who were the first Europeans to settle in the area.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • VIDEO: Sarens raises the pylon for New Wear Crossing in Sunderland
    February 13, 2017
    It was as weekend working in Sunderland city, northeast England, for global lifting specialist 8569 Sarens.

    Over the two days, the Belgian company gently raised a 1,550tonne steel pylon that will form the backbone of the New Wear Crossing – no official name yet – across the River Wear.

    General work on the two-span cable-stay bridge started on the bridge in May 2015. The structure will be supported by the single double pylon and will have four vehicle lanes, as well as dedicated cycle and pedestrian routes.
    Read More
  • The UK’s Humber Bridge gets protected status
    July 28, 2017
    Any refurbishments to the Humber Bridge near the northern English city of Hull will be subject to intense scrutiny after being designated a historic site. The bridge - only 36-years old – was the longest single-span suspension bridge for 16 years until it was surpassed in 1998 with completion of Japan’s Akashi Kaikyō Bridge with a main span of 1.9km. The Humber Bridge now ranks eighth-longest as measured by its main span of 1.4km. Historic England, the listed structures designating authority, described the
    Read More
  • Replace bridge for Vancouver’s Massey Tunnel could aid congestion
    December 21, 2015
    Opponents of a proposed 10-lane bridge near Vancouver, Canada, said the structure will encourage urban sprawl in a region that is already struggling with a booming population. The British Columbia provincial government recently opened the final round of public consultation for the planned 3.3km toll bridge likely to cost around US$2.54 billion.
    Read More
  • Gerald Desmond Bridge opening in California
    October 5, 2020
    The Gerald Desmond Bridge in California is opening for drivers.
    Read More

Highlighted Content