New NY Bridge Public Outreach
LOCATION
Tarrytown, New York
TEAM
New York State Thruway Authority Tappan Zee Constructors LLC Stokes Creative Group Behan Associates Landscape Architecture, DPC
CONSTRUCTION
Tappan Zee Constructors LLC 2014-2020
Photo by Stokes Creative Group, New NY Bridge under construction, 2014
The WBE sub-consultant team of Behan Associates and Stokes Creative Group under the TappanZee Constructors (TZC) Design-Build Team, worked with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s special advisory group at the New York State Thruway Authority to roll-out information about the project to the public.
A large component of the public involvement process included educational outreach programming for K-12 students and teachers, scout groups and higher education. Opportunities for an environmental education curriculum were created, utilizing webcams to showcase endangered species and curriculum to explain the use of sensitive construction tactics to protect river ecology.
The proposed shared-use path across the 3.1-mile bridge and its connections to Rockland and Westchester Counties, existing trail systems and parking was an element of the project that required a high level of coordination and relationship management. Rebecca Nolan, RLA produced diagrams for public meetings specific to both South Nyack and Tarrytown and coordinated with engineers and construction staff regarding changes and additional elements that required a robust public process of review and comment. Additionally, she helped produce signage for the viewing platforms on both sides of the river that provided information for visitors and the local communities.
