First drive across the new Tappan Zee Bridge- Aug 2017

[@jeffglanstein4489]

Beautiful combination of architecture and engineering. A pleasure to watch this project slowly unfold and come to fruition. A project this size with a minimum of incidents. A tribute to great construction management.

[@nytom4info]

It will always be the Tappan Zee bridge! And just like the "Verrazano " the toll will never go away! ;)

[@black_bandit1084]

Why are you saying it in quotes?

[@NYC_Construction_Updates]

I'll be driving across the Tappan Zee in December! I'm so excited!

[@ShellymanStudios]

What a lovely bridge! You don't have to worry about potholes.

[@frankgrimesification]

Its New York.....Give it time. 👍

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Because the first Hudson River crossing I remember was over the original bridge, I never thought I would "hear" myself saying this, but I agree with you, John. This one is better.

[@johngerraughty]

Same here. As a kid in the early '70s we would drive from Boston to NJ to visit my dad's friend and he would always wake us up when we got to the TZ. Loved that bridge but it is well past its prime and ready to come down.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

For me, it was most often visiting my father's brother near Scarsdale, otherwise going to see other relatives on Long Island.

[@ezeo.7315]

John Gerraughty what their knocking the old one down?!?!?! I had so much memories on that bridge.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

STAR AXE, I have memories of my own which I will cherish forever. However, memories won’t prevent people from running headlong into the river. What we are getting will provide the same memories for generations to come.

[@ezeo.7315]

ShreadTheWeapon wait that happened?

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

Wow in July the bridge structure wasn't even completely finished yet. Now people are already driving across it!

[@leeandadaelliott]

I wonder how long it will be until people refer to this new bridge as the Mario Cuomo rather than the Tappan Zee. Sixth Avenue in NYC was renamed Avenue of the Americas in 1945 and New Yorkers still refer to it as Sixth Ave. Anyway, I think "Tappan Zee" rolls off the tongue far better than "The Mario Cuomo". Check back around the year 2100 for the answer.

[@johngerraughty]

It seems like most people around here prefer the Tappan Zee name and will continue to to call it that for the foreseeable future. Plus it is bad enough to name a bridge after a politician, but in this case you have politician naming a bridge after his father (also a politician) with the same name....

[@rwboa22]

In the same way the William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge in Delaware is still referred to as the "C & D Canal Bridge" or the "New St. George's Bridge," the William Preston Lane, Jr. Bridge in Maryland is still called the Chesapeake Bay Bridge or simply, the Bay Bridge, and the Lucius J. Kellam Jr. Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia is still called the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Unless the bridge is named after an historical figure or war hero (George Washington Bridge, Ben Franklin Bridge, etc.), naming a bridge after somebody will never be popular.

[@kevinduval369]

I live in NYC and I've never heard anyone call 6th avenue that-although that is the name of a path in Corona Park In Queens. All the signs say 6th Ave.

[@loompaoompa2627]

I will never call it the Cuomo bridge. It's still the Tappanzee to me.

[@centurion1945]

It's not exactly like anybody called the old bridge the Gov. Malcolm Wilson Bridge which was it's official name. So odds are pretty slim anybody is going to start calling it the Mario Cuomo bridge.

[@xavierwilliams2933]

I love driving over this bridge. 🌉

[@vcoaster]

No one is going to refer to this the Mario Cuomo Bridge. What a political gaff that is! This is the New Tappan Zee Bridge. Soon to be known as just the Tappan Zee Bridge. Never the MC Bridge.

[@johngerraughty]

I couldn't agree more!

[@yragzenitram2965]

it's a different bridge. it's the mario coumo bridge.

[@Answers721]

Not a very crowded area. Traffic looks really easy there.

[@johngerraughty]

It was early on a Saturday morning. It is normally much busier. (average traffic is 140,000-170,000 cars per day)

[@Answers721]

I was just in San Francisco a few weeks ago. Traffic from Sacramento to San Francisco was averaging about 40mph the whole way. That stretch of I-80 is horrible traffic. That is on Saturday. Only image how bad it is Monday to Friday.

[@randomvideosn0where]

I thought our NY traffic was bad, until I moved to Baltimore. Absolute misery!

[@loompaoompa2627]

It's usually pretty crowded. During rush hour it's a parking lot.... also MAGA!

[@Answers721]

Just found a video documentary of the new San Francisco / Oakland Bay Bridge. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIa1qaKDedGWe80

[@pcmusicradio4198]

The bridge looks wonderful, and thanks for making the video. Those expansion joint dips in the pavement seem like they are going to cause issues over the coming years. Even when brand new, seem to be awfully low. How did they feel when you were driving??

[@johngerraughty]

They felt pretty smooth, but then again I am used to the old bridge which is like driving on the surface of the moon.

[@loompaoompa2627]

I'm gonna miss not paying a toll. The last like year and a half it's been free.

[@johngerraughty]

How have you not been paying the toll? They took down the booths but put in the cashless toll system. If you don't have EZ Pass you should be getting bills in the mail. I cross the bridge a lot in both of our cars and I have been getting charged on my EZ Pass every single time.

[@BillyBob-jb3yy]

It’s not free watch when they bill u for the last year seriously

[@BillyBob-jb3yy]

These ez pass lanes r the biggest scam going also they don’t send u bill when they do it’s late and u get stuck paying 50 dollars for a 5 dollar toll that’s why people r moving out of this stupid lib state

[@chrisrodger621]

He must be from Canada. I drove on it as well and I never got billed in the mail. I think they don’t bother mailing to Canada or that camera system does not recognize Canadian plates

[@ronaldflorio6372]

Its free if you are an illegal immigrant. Citizens must pay.

[@U2WB]

I wonder what time of day / day of the week this was filmed. I take this bridge every day and I’ve never been able to sail down Rt287 like that. It’s always a bumper to bumper crawl.

[@johngerraughty]

It was filmed the day the new span opened, which was Saturday Aug 26, 2017 at around 8am.

[@jbenitetas]

Very Nice and thanks for uploading ..., cute doggie ..., Happy National Dog Day ...August 26th ..., please do the same during peak fall color (usually last week of October, 1st days of November) ...,

[@johngerraughty]

Thanks, will do!

[@RaymondHng]

What is the _Do Not Enter_ section seen at 1:56? During the construction of the new bridge, where there any weekends when the old bridge had to be shut down to traffic?

[@johngerraughty]

The old bridge was one span, and the new bridge is two spans (one westbound and one eastbound) Only the westbound span of the new bridge is open. Right now westbound traffic goes across the new span and eastbound traffic goes over the old bridge. In a couple of weeks they will move eastbound traffic onto the new westbound span as well. They cannot complete the new eastbound span until they take down the old bridge. What you see at 1:56 are the lanes that will be used for eastbound traffic soon. There will be four lanes in each direction on the new westbound span until the eastbound span is completed in 2018. As far as I know they did not have to ever close the old bridge to traffic during construction of the new bridge.

[@rwboa22]

John Gerraughty, the only time I could recall the old Tappan Zee got closed was for the crane that collapsed onto the on the Westchester Co. side (near the old toll booths).

[@johngerraughty]

Oh yeah, I remember that. It was a miracle nobody was hurt or killed.

[@leonardvancottjr.2102]

On the Westchester side also Old TZB, had to also close temporarily westbound the other incident when a tractor trailer frame broke apart and the trailer a forty foot length steel box trailer overturned onto the fast lanes spilling metal scrap material all over the roadway. Another filmmaker's dashcam footage was rolling the accident almost included his SUV, his vid camera captured the accident and his vehicle was directly next to and then behind same truck when it flipped.

[@newdimension4731]

i don't know if Montreal Québec tried to copy this bridge with Champlain bridge but it is so shamefull what they've done. they are still on it after 3 or 4 years now... can you beleive they put a train track in the middle. it goes from 5 lanes shrinking to 4 than shrinking to 3 lanes FOR CARS AND TRUCKS 4th is reserve for the bus, they didn't even put an EMERGENCY LANE on the far out (RIGHT LANE) WTF??? and the bus lane begins after you re already on the bridge 1/4 mile than you see the arrow telling you to merge left cause it is reserve for buses. couldn't they make that shrinking BEFORE you get on the bridge?? noooo way they re too dumb to do that the proper way. I loved going on that bridge wide, well indicated... especially when you re heading to long island the panels are not at the last minute but well ahead.

[@andytaylor5476]

Beautiful! What's the toll? Why no pedestrian/bike access? I live in San Francisco and our new Bay bridge has pedestrian/bike access. Just surprised your bridge doesn't, that I could see.

[@johngerraughty]

The bridge will have a pedestrian/bike path on the outside of one of the spans sometime next year. The bridge is two spans, and only one is complete right now. Once they complete the new eastbound span in 2018 they will complete the pedestrian/bike path. By the way, love your bridges out there! I had never been there until last November, and was out there again this April. I love the Golden Gate and the new Bay Bridge is amazing. I had watched many shows about its construction so it was very nice to be able to drive across it a couple of times.

[@johngerraughty]

Oh, and the toll has not gone up- yet. It is currently $5.00 charged in only one direction. They claim they will not raise it for a year or so, but what it goes up to is anybody's guess. The George Washington bridge toll (only about 20 miles away) is $15.00!

[@andytaylor5476]

Thanks I haven't been to New York since 1963! but I know some of your great bridges too. Glad to hear it will be accessible to walkers and cyclists! $5 is a deal. Enjoy!

[@hyzercreek]

$4.75 for people with EZ Pass

[@americangiant1003]

John it's around $11-$12 with Ez Pass on the GW Bridge/Lincoln Tunnel and the other PA crossings between NYC and NJ.

[@andytaylor5476]

How long is it? Is that a bichon dog? Your bridge and our bay bridge resemble each other.

[@johngerraughty]

It is about three and a half miles long and does resemble the Bay Bridge in some ways. We got our dog from a rescue and she looks like a maltese but is actually a Chihuahua/Miniature poodle mix.

[@williamheinsinger7390]

Very Nice 🇺🇸👍💯

[@axysdnyd]

I was just there 2 weeks ago and the bridge wasn't open to traffic... wtf?!

[@johngerraughty]

The Eastbound span is not open yet. The westbound span is.

[@MikeJ2023]

Matt B The bridge opened over a month ago if you were there two weeks ago you drove over the new bridge. I commute on this bridge every day for work I drove on it the morning it opened.

[@johngerraughty]

I assume he was going eastbound, which two weeks ago would have been on the old bridge.

[@axysdnyd]

John Gerraughty just drove across the bridge, ad I'm not impressed with it in the least. Lanes are way too narrow still and with only the 1 span open to traffic in both directions it's only a matter of time before the road surface is as bad as every other bridge and road in New York. Exactly why I can't stand driving through that state, the roads are awful and the drivers are almost all assholes. Not all but I'd say at least 90% or more are. No regard for anyone else, and especially not for truckers such as me. It's only because of my great skill and professionalism that no one has been killed by me yet, I'm constantly being cut off by cars. I can't stop 80,000lbs on a dime, no matter how good of a driver I am. Laws of physics cannot be broken.

[@lucyhg2010]

Matt B you sound like a real POS who thinks his shit doesn't stink

[@SquidCena]

Why did they have to replace the bridge again?

[@johngerraughty]

The original bridge was finished in 1955 and was only designed to last 50 years. It was built on non-pressure treated wood pilings and was about to fall into the river, if the structure itself did not crumble from all the rust.

[@johngerraughty]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tappan_Zee_Bridge_(1955%E2%80%932017)

[@SquidCena]

John Gerraughty ok thx

[@frankgrimesification]

Because it was there. 🤣

[@greasyrails2571]

Theirs automatic eze passes their soon.

[@johngerraughty]

They took down the tolls booths quite a while ago. It is now just ez pass or bill by mail like most of the bridges and tunnels in the area are going to.

[@iansnyder274]

I grew up close by to here, and , yeah, its a dumb name.....but people will eventually probably call it the "CUO" or the M.C.B.

[@stephenm52]

Thanks for posting the video, it will always be the Tappan Zee in my book. The Mario Cuomo bridge just doesn't sound right. That pup resembles a Bichon but I don't think it is.

[@johngerraughty]

Steve Molnar She is a chihuahua/ miniature poodle mix with some mutt in there for good measure.

[@norbertjaworski1654]

🏡💋😘

[@donaldleider7382]

Get Cuomo’s name off the signs, Tappan Zee Bridge forever!!!

[@johngerraughty]

They took down one of the two remaining sections of the old bridge with explosives on Tuesday. Very cool! kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2bJqHejeZaUnLM

[@FordMustangYT]

I think this is a new lankmark!

[@BillyBob-jb3yy]

Waste of tax payers money worst bridge in country just took 2 hours to get over it always traffic and construction

[@johngerraughty]

You do know only half of the new bridge is open right? Not that the traffic will disappear when the second span opens but it should be better. And the old bridge was about to fall into the river so a new one had to be built.

[@MikeT-TheRetiredColonel]

Billy Bob, why don't you just go pound sand - better yet, just go across the GWB during rush hour, 2 hrs here is going to feel ultra-fast, douchenozzle

[@henggaocai8276]

It's called The Cuomo bridge

[@johngerraughty]

Call it whatever you want, it will always be known as the Tappan Zee Bridge.

[@creepyzeek1]

I'll never ever refer to the new Tappen zee Bridge as anything other than The Tappen Zee bridge. PERIOD.

[@soulstunner]

Lovepres Trump must be a southerner