Tappan Zee Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge |
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The Tappan Zee Bridge as seen from Tarrytown, 2007
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| Coordinates | 41°04′12″N 73°53′28″W / 41.07000°N 73.89111°W |
| Carries | 7 lanes (3 northbound/westbound, 3 southbound/eastbound, 1 reversible) of    I-87 / I-287 / New York Thruway |
| Crosses | Hudson River |
| Locale | Connecting Grand View-on-Hudson, Rockland County, New York and Tarrytown, Westchester County, New York in the Lower Hudson Valley |
| Official name | Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge |
| Maintained by | New York State Thruway Authority |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever bridge |
| Total length | 16,013 feet (4,881 m; 3 mi) |
| Width | 90 feet (27 m) |
| Longest span | 1,212 feet (369 m) |
| Clearance below | 138 feet (42 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | December 14, 1955 |
| Closed | October 6, 2017 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 134,947 (2010) |
The Tappan Zee Bridge was a very important bridge in lower New York. It stretched about three miles across the Hudson River. It connected Westchester and Rockland Counties.
Opened in 1955, it helped traffic move easily between these two areas. It took over from older bridges and ferries. Located about 25 miles north of New York City, you could even see the city from the bridge on a clear day! The bridge carried seven lanes of the New York State Thruway, a major highway.
The bridge got its name from a Native American tribe called the "Tappan," who lived in the area. The word Zee comes from the Dutch word for "sea." This makes sense because the bridge crossed a wide body of water.
By the early 2000s, the bridge was quite old. It was also too small for all the cars and trucks using it every day. People in the region talked for many years about needing a new bridge. A new, modern bridge finally replaced the old one in 2017.
Building a New Bridge
In 2013, the New York State Thruway Authority started building a brand new bridge. This new bridge was designed to have two separate spans. Each span would carry four lanes of traffic in opposite directions. It also included special lanes just for buses.
The new bridge, called the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, opened in stages. It fully replaced the old Tappan Zee Bridge. The old bridge was then carefully taken down in 2019.
