EDISON, N.J., Nov. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since 2011, more than 200 Union Carpenters from the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) have accumulated more than 480,000 hours of labor building the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (formerly the Tappan Zee Bridge) in Hudson Valley, NY. The new bridge has eight lanes and 6.4 miles of road deck, including 300,000 cubic yards of concrete. The bridge is designed to last 100 years with double the vehicle capacity of the old Tappan Zee Bridge.
The westbound lanes of the new bridge opened to the public in August 2017 and the eastbound lanes are scheduled to open for commuters in late 2018.
“Although the location and weather conditions created challenges at times, when this project is completed, it will immensely improve the traffic conditions for commuters in the area,” said Bill Banfield, NRCC's Southeast New York Regional Manager. “The $4 billion project is currently one of the largest single design-build contracts for a transportation project in the United States.”
The bridge is being designed and contracted through Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC and steps have already been taken to decommission the old Tappan Zee Bridge. The first pieces of steel were removed from the 61-year-old cross-Hudson bridge in early November using industrial mobile cranes and other equipment. Alternate routes have already been established to adapt to these changes.
Jump form systems, also known as the supportive concrete structures encasing the eight main span towers, were created by NRCC carpenters to comprise the majority of the formwork for the bridge.
Many of the old bridge's materials, including more than 130 deck panel units, two movable barrier machines and movable barrier sections, will be transferred for recycling to nearly a dozen state and local municipalities.
About the NRCC
The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: northeastcarpenters.org & follow us on social: Facebook: facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; Twitter: @nrccarpenters; or Instagram: @northeastcarpenters
Contact: Tony Bianchini
Phone: 609-402-1730