Will new Tappan Zee span honor Gov. Wilson?

Katharine Wilson Conroy has heard all about New York State's plans for knocking down the Tappan Zee Bridge and replacing it with a new one.

And she can't help but think: Will the name of her late father -- former Gov. Malcolm Wilson -- now enshrined on a plaque on the existing bridge, remain in a place of honor once the new one is built?

"The thought has crossed my mind, and it has crossed the minds of other people," said Conroy, a Westchester County lawyer who lives in New Rochelle. "I hope that it will stay there."

Former Gov. Mario Cuomo -- whose son, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, is leading the charge to build a new bridge -- decided to honor the Republican in 1994 by placing his name on a bridge that stands just miles from the Yonkers home where he and his wife, Katherine, raised their two daughters.

State officials wouldn't say whether the issue of a name change has come up in discussions about building a new $3.9-billion bridge. They're still trying to secure federal financing for the bridge, following December's selection of Tappan Zee Constructors as the dual span's designer and builder.

"We are focused solely on building a new bridge," said New York State Thruway Authority spokesman Dan Weiller.

Former Gov. Cuomo could not be reached for comment.

The naming of the bridge for her father was fitting, Conroy said. She recalled how, soon after the thruway opened, her father took the family on a two-week vacation, exploring stops along the new highway.

"For my father, this was the last piece that opened up New York State," she said. "He loved the fact that you could go from New York City to Buffalo."