| Friday, April 24, 2009 |
05:47 - They can be taught
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The signs on the Tappan Zee Bridge have been flashing the ominous warning for days now, and today the bill comes due: TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE JOINT REPAIR BEGINS 4/24.
Which, according to news reports I'd read a couple of months ago, entail even thicker steel plates bolted across the joints than they used last fall, where 1.5 inches of raised plate—in seven or eight places in sequence—while probably not enough to cause damage to a car traveling at highway speed (well, unless you drive straight over the sharp raised bolt ends), are certainly enough to cause thousands of cars to slow down to 15 mph to crawl gingerly over them. Leading, of course, to a daily traffic backup stretching all the way to Connecticut.
Reports are that this time the plates will be even worse—2.5 inches, if I read them correctly. Traffic this morning was okay since they haven't actually started the work yet, but starting tomorrow it's going to suck mightily.
Well, unless:
In April 2009, preparation work began on the deck surface for the installation of new bridge joints on the main span and west deck truss sections of the Tappan Zee Bridge. Once the preparation work is completed, steel plates and asphalt transition ramps will be installed for the joint replacement work on the main span. The transition ramps, covering the entire width of the bridge at each bridge joint location, will consist of approximately 50 feet of asphalt leading up to the steel plates and will gradually thicken until the ramp is flush with the top of the roadway plate(s). It is anticipated the asphalt ramps will provide a smooth transition over the roadway plates thereby minimizing impacts to motorists. Additionally, the ramps are to encourage drivers to continue traveling at reasonable speeds.
Well then. Maybe it won't be so terrible after all.
The installation will occur at the three bridge joint locations on the main span section of the bridge. This arrangement is scheduled to be in place for several weeks with all plates removed from the main span in September 2009.
At least it'd better not.
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Brian Tiemann
