After the federal government in 2011 decided to “fast-track” the replacement of the aging Tappan Zee Bridge, the dream of including a rail right-of-way on the new bridge was all but squashed, and the provision of a full bus rapid transit corridor became the objective for transit advocates.
The bridge that was supposed to have a rail line?
— Richard Fassett (@rfassett) September 21, 2017
A Tappan Zee Mass Transit Task Force was formed (thanks to the doggedness of TSTC’s outgoing Executive Director Veronica Vanterpool) in 2012, and it resulted in a 2014 report which recommended an enhanced-but-not-quite-true-BRT bus service. Included in those recommendations was the provision of a dedicated bus lane over the bridge.
More than three years since the Task Force released its recommendations, questions about the new bus system remain. For example, in a press release announcing a pair of public Open House events in the Lower Hudson Valley next week, the New York State Department of Transportation is referring to that dedicated bus lane as a potential dedicated bus lane:
PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING ABOUT POTENTIAL DEDICATED BUS LANE ON THE GOVERNOR MARIO M. CUOMO BRIDGE
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will host two Open House events to present findings from the analysis of a potential dedicated bus lane on the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (GMMCB). These events will highlight the findings from the analysis and potential implementation of the dedicated bus lane.
Two Open House events are scheduled. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the project. The public is encouraged to drop in anytime during an Open House at the most convenient location and date, as the format and agendas will be the same:
The first Open House will take place in Rockland County on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Palisades Center, Alder Room, 4th Floor, 100 Palisades Center Drive, West Nyack, NY, 10994.
The second Open House will take place in Westchester County on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Greenburgh Public Library, Multipurpose Room, 300 Tarrytown Road, Elmsford, NY, 10523.
TSTC will be represented at both Tuesday and Wednesday’s events. We hope you’ll be there too.
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The post The Mario Cuomo Bridge Won’t Have a Rail Line. Will It at Least Have a Bus Lane? appeared first on Mobilizing the Region.
