The Construction of the Tappan Zee Bridge
The Tappan Zee Bridge spans the Hudson River, connecting Rockland and Westchester Counties in New York. Construction, begun in 1952, was completed in 1955 at a cost of $80.8 million. The Tappan Zee Bridge is an integral part of the New York State Thruway system.
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Features
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The Tappan Zee Bridge is a cantilevered bridge, constructed with supports on one end that carry the stress and loads toward that end of the bridge. Underwater concrete caissons, supported by steel driven into rock, support 70 percent of the bridge's weight. Deck truss spans are supports under the bridge on either side; these also help to distribute the weight that the bridge must bear.
Construction
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The caissons were constructed, transported and installed in 1953. The length of the main cantilever is 1,212 feet; two side cantilevers measure 602 feet each. The deck truss spans were installed on either side of the main and side cantilevers. The bridge sections were assembled in Grassy Point, Rockland County, and shipped by barge to the bridge site.
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Fun Facts
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The Tappan Zee Bridge is the ninth-largest cantilever bridge in the world. In the bridge's first year of operation, it carried 18,000 vehicles per day. As of 2005, it carried about 135,000 vehicles per day. Tolls are now collected only from vehicles traveling eastbound. The bridge gets its name from the Tappan Indian tribe, which lived in this region of New York, and the Dutch word "zee," meaning a wide expanse of water.
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