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

  • Russia's key highway development project
    February 8, 2012
    One of the largest construction programmes in Europe is being carried out to get a Russian resort ready for the Winter Olympics. Patrick Smith reports
    Read More
  • Russia's key highway development project
    May 28, 2012
    One of the largest construction programmes in Europe is being carried out to get a Russian resort ready for the Winter Olympics. Patrick Smith reports. Daytime temperatures top 30°C in September, and with hundreds of shops and hotels, it is not difficult to see why Sochi has become Russia's premier holiday playground. The city, on the east coast of the Black Sea, near the border with Georgia, bustles with tourists, and this is boosted with delegates at the 9th International Investment Forum Sochi 2010.
    Read More
  • Times they are a changing
    July 23, 2012
    Construction in China still appears to be on course for growth even with the gloomy economic outlook, as it enjoys "a strong budgets position." Patrick Smith reports One thing is certain in the current global economic climate: nothing is certain. And while China has not been unaffected by the economic events of recent months it has, according to Robert Zoellinck, president of the World Bank, a very strong current account and budgetary position. For some years, the nation has enjoyed double digit growth (the
    Read More
  • Improving safety for vulnerable road users
    January 2, 2013
    Dutch-style cycle safety for other European nations – Mike Woof writes A recent event held in London during October was aimed at improving safety for vulnerable road users. Called Love London go Dutch, the event was intended to highlight some of the experience from Holland in reducing risk rates for vulnerable road users such as cyclists. Similar events were held in other UK cities, while other major European cities such as Paris that are seeing an increase in cycling also have a lot to learn from Dutch exp
    Read More

Highlighted Content