Letter: Unrealistic on Tappan Zee?
The Tappan Zee Bridge is ripe for repairs. Credit: AP
Residents of Queens, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and Connecticut all have a strong interest in seeing reconstruction of the Tappan Zee Bridge ["Looks matter," Opinion, Feb. 12].
Is Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's promise to put a shovel in the ground by the end of the summer realistic? What was the basis of the new $5-billion estimated cost?
In the past, construction of any new freight, public-transportation tunnel or bridge project has taken decades to complete. First come the feasibility studies, environmental reviews, planning, design, engineering, real estate acquisition, permits, procurements, construction, budgeting, and identifying and securing of funding.
Previous planning initiatives have estimated the cost from $14 billion to $18 billion. This also could have included options of adding bus rapid transit, light rail or heavy commuter-rail capacity. Not paying for any of these options today could be penny-wise and pound-foolish. It might cost far more money decades later to construct any public transportation component on an existing bridge.
The anticipated final potential cost will never be known until design and engineering are complete. This cost will be further refined by the awarding of construction contracts, followed by any unforeseen site conditions, and change orders to the base contracts. It is difficult for anyone at this point to really predict when we will see a shovel in the ground or the final price tag to taxpayers.
Perhaps the only real dedicated funding source for a new Tappan Zee Bridge is higher tolls, with additional revenue placed in a lock box to cover costs.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
