Local Leaders Mobilize vs. Rush for TZ II
In a letter published in Thursday's NY Times, Greenburgh Town Supervisor and candidate for Congress Paul Feiner urged that all cheaper, short-term alternatives to reduce traffic on the Tappan-Zee Bridge be exhausted before the NY State Thruway Authority moves ahead with a plan to replace the forty-five year old span. Responding to the release of the I-287 Task Force report last week, Feiner said a second opinion is needed to determine whether a new bridge and the vaguely proposed Rockland-Westchester transit system is the most cost-effective way to provide better mass transit and mobility in the lower Hudson Valley. On Wednesday the Greenburgh Town Council unanimously approved a resolution calling on Governor Pataki to ensure that the Thruway Authority does not begin an Environmental Impact Study for replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge until an independent transit feasibility study is conducted. The Council urged the Governor to direct his agencies to pursue near-term congestion relief options like creating car-pooling incentives, instituting variable tolls on the Tappan-Zee Bridge, and reviving West Shore rail passenger service.
