When You Think About It. Thoughts on the New Tappan Zee Bridge

Words and photo by F LoBuono

Ambivalence. True to the essence of the word, it is both blessing and curse to the writer. And so it is with today's topic. I love being compelled to write it. But I also hate the need to do so. The very topic of this entry is loaded with it. Before I get totally obtuse, allow me to give the necessary background.

As a thirty-year resident of the Village of South Nyack, I have come to know this place, I believe, intimately. It has touched my soul like no other. Although I have had the good fortune to be able to live almost anywhere, it is South Nyack that I have chosen to inhabit. I have sung the praises of its physical beauty in this blog and elsewhere. But its real strength lies in the quality and commitment of its citizenry. I have also been critical of its shortcomings when I believed it necessary. No place on earth is paradise, and South Nyack is certainly not the exception. It is a real place to live - with real amenities and real challenges. Keeping the amenities and dealing with those challenges requires vigilance.

With that in mind, I was glad to attend a meeting that took place at Nyack College (Thursday 3/20/2014) and was organized by the Governor's Office, the Village of South Nyack and the new South Nyack TZ Bridge Task Force (SNTZBTF). Representing Governor Cuomo was Brian Conybeare. South Nyack was represented by its mayor, Bonnie Christian. The three member SNTZBTF consisted of Connie Coker, Jerry Ilowite, and Richard Kohlhausen. The expressed purpose of the meeting was to share preliminary ideas on how to construct the new Tappan Zee Bridge's Shared Use Path (SUP) which is scheduled to have a portal in the Village. It was also expressed that the meeting would listen to residents' concerns for further consideration. I am not very good at estimating crowds, but I would think it safe to say that the meeting was attended by about one hundred very concerned citizens.

Now, this is a complex issue - too complex to address in great detail here. If you need to know more in terms of specifics, please consult the State and South Nyack websites for more information. If I may, I will attempt to boil down the main issues. And, keep that word, ambivalence, in mind when you read further.

 As part of the new bridge, a walking/biking path (or Shared Use Path/SUP) is to be included. It will stretch the full three miles of the span with one end/beginning (portal) to be located in South Nyack (at the corner of Cornelison and South Broadway, across from the Village Hall) and the other in Westchester County's Village of Tarrytown. There are proposed viewing areas along the way to take advantage of what are, without a doubt going to be spectacular vistas.

OK. Now here is the ambivalence as I see it. I am a big walker and bike rider. I know that I will be one of the first to take advantage of the SUP when it is completed and opened. I LOVE that. However, I also live a mere two blocks from the portal. If I am anxious to take advantage of the SUP, won't hundreds, maybe THOUSANDS of others want to do the same? What will we do with the traffic, the parking, the garbage, the associated expenses, etc.? What will it do to privacy, particularly to the residents of Cornelison St.? What will it do to property values? This part I HATE. It's bound to have a huge impact on those of us who live at "ground zero"! Citizen after citizen expressed their concern. One man asked, "do you have any idea how many will come on a 4th of July to witness the fireworks from the center of the Hudson"? It was rhetorical but it was also not. Unfortunately, the panel could not answer. The Governor's office has ordered a study to be conducted on other, similar venues to provide possible estimates. However, none of us can really know until we know. The panel presented its "possible" vision of how to make the portal work where it is currently proposed. These proposals including making the portal as compatible with the existing architecture as possible, as well as creating more parking at the current Village Hall complex though renovation or even relocation. They also explained that the Thruway authority would ultimately bare the burden of the costs of construction and maintenance.

Another major concern worth mentioning is the status of Exit 10. Many of us who have traveled West off the Tappan Zee Bridge to exit in South Nyack are well familiar with it. It makes a large, winding loop over the Thruway before it merges with 9W. This issue is a particularly thorny one for the residents of the Village. It is a constant reminder that, sixty years ago, under very shady circumstance, the State of New York and the Thruway Authority rammed the first Tappan Zee Bridge right through the heart of the Village of South Nyack. One third of the entire village was lost. One third. A small but vibrant downtown was lost, never to return. Exit 10 rests on land that was once that vibrant downtown and the Village wants it back. It has become a symbol of what was lost. Furthermore, it would be perfect for the South Nyack portal. It is not in a residential area and there is plenty of room for cars. Most people questioned why we weren't pursuing that option more vigorously? The problem is, the Village does not own it yet - and may never. The panel put forth that it is negotiating for the parcel but that it is VERY early in the negotiations. In the meantime, they were offering what they believed to be viable alternatives and eliciting community feedback.

Many residents expressed frustration with the process, siting a lack of communication on the part of both State and Local officials. Many also felt that, although their voices were currently being heard, it would lead to no real good - the decision had been made, as it had been sixty years ago and South Nyack, once again, was left "holding the bag".

Here's my take, and this is where the ambivalence really takes over: Everyone who lives in the immediate area of the portal WILL BE IMPACTED. It is inevitable. We may claim this to be unfair, but progress and change is sometimes painful - until it is not. Some will never see beyond the inconvenience. Others, like me, will see it for the opportunity to take even more advantage of one of the things that makes this place so wonderful to live in; a natural beauty, second to none. And, please don't tell me that when you have visitors from out of town, you are not going to take them to the Bridge and the SUP! Ah, yes, the ambivalence!

I was also taken aback by the vitriol with which some residents expressed their concerns. People were angry and frustrated. That can be a dangerous combination. I get it. I live here, too. However, to subject the people on the panel, who, in my mind, had obviously worked very long and hard to come up with viable alternatives is just plain rude. Passion is good. Misplaced anger is not. These people are our neighbors, as well. This is another source of ambivalence for me. I love that people are involved and participate. I hate that they do it in such a vicious manner.

It really is a case of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), the syndrome that plagues almost every community in every country around the world. Sure, it sounds like a great idea, but can't you put it somewhere else? Well, in this case, as in so many others, the answer is, well, NO. But people hear what they want to hear. And, from what I saw and heard at this meeting, we have a CHANCE to make something work for us, as best we can - with a commitment to continue to improve until we get it just right!

In the meantime, I intend to see the glass as half-full. I will, indeed, be one of the first ones on the SUP when it opens. And if the Village or State fails in their commitment to me and the other residents, it will be once again our duty to hold them to it. This is our civic duty. We do our best to make every situation the best and, the rest of the time, remain vigilant. This has been the key to this Village's success and will remain so. This situation is no different. The world is what you make it.