NY governor: $4B Tappan Zee Bridge on budget, on schedule for 2018 opening

Dive Brief:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state and local officials gathered at the new $4 billion Tappan Zee Bridge to announce that the on-budget project is still on schedule to open in 2018, according to the Journal News.
Cuomo said that 90% of the bridge’s support structures are in place and that workers will perform the final concrete pour this week. Crews have driven 1,000 piles, installed more than 3,000 road deck panels and anchored more than 30% of the required 192 cable stays to the main towers.
The first span of the new bridge will be open to traffic in 2017, at which time crews will begin demolition on the old bridge and begin work on the next portion of the new bridge.

Dive Insight:

Cuomo said the old Tappan Zee Bridge, as well as La Guardia Airport in Queens and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan represented, "20 years of failure," which had to be addressed. He also lauded the bridge project as making significant progress despite some "difficult circumstances."

One of those difficult circumstances to which Cuomo is referring involves union relations on the project. At the center was a dispute about whether bridge officials had to use a more expensive class of worker on the project, but a court determined that a less-expansive category of worker was acceptable. Then in July, a crane collapsed onto the bridge while participating in the pile-driving process. The collapse shut down all lanes of traffic for several hours and caused a few minor injuries.

As Cuomo mentioned, the region has other major projects underway in addition to the Tappan Zee. Construction is underway at LaGuardia Airport. Skanska USA leads the public-private partnership that will build a new $4 billion terminal, central hall and associated infrastructure. Skanska has said this is the company's largest project ever.

Pennsylvania Station is also getting a major facelift. In a $1.6 billion undertaking, the joint venture of Related Cos., Vornado Realty Trust and Skanska USA (RVS) will redevelop the James Farley Post Office, which is adjacent to Penn Station, into the 255,000-square-foot Moynihan Train Hall as part of the broader initiative. The joint venture will also build retail and office space as part of the renovation.