Press Releases
For Immediate Release: December 23, 2002
NOTICE OF INTENT FOR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE /I-287 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PUBLISHED IN FEDERAL REGISTER
Public Meetings Planned For January, More Info Available on Study Web Site
The New York State Thruway Authority and the MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced that the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Alternatives Analysis (AA) and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Environmental Review has been published in the Federal Register. The Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 corridor extends approximately 30 miles from the I-87/I-287 interchange in Suffern to the I-287/I-95 interchange in Port Chester through Rockland and Westchester Counties.
The NOI includes notice of the three public scoping meetings that are scheduled for mid-January in Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties (schedule below). The purpose of these meetings is to solicit broad public input on the scope of the AA and the DEIS.
The purpose of the environmental review is to study transportation needs and mobility in the corridor. The environmental review will also examine the structural needs of the Tappan Zee Bridge, as well as other existing infrastructure in the corridor.
The AA will identify, evaluate and screen a large number of possible actions to produce a reasonable range of alternatives that meet the proposed Project’s purpose and need. The DEIS will evaluate those identified alternatives based on their environmental impacts and other relevant factors.
A Scoping Information Packet has been prepared that explains the Project’s purpose and need, goals and objectives, and includes a preliminary list of alternatives and environmental impacts that will be addressed during the course of the environmental review. This Information Packet is available on the Study web site - www.tzbsite.com.
The public meetings are scheduled as follows:
January 14, 2003
Sleepy Hollow High School
Auditorium
210 North Broadway
Sleepy Hollow, New YorkJanuary 15, 2003
Palisades Center
Adler and Rasso Rooms
1000 Palisades Center Drive
West Nyack, New YorkJanuary 16, 2003
Orange County Community College
Bio Tech Building, Room 207
115 South Street
Middletown, New York
Each meeting will run from 4 to 9 p.m. Brief formal presentations will take place at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to comment on the scope of the AA and/or the DEIS will be afforded the opportunity. In addition, there will be an opportunity to learn more about the study in an informal setting.
The Authorities will be accepting comments until March 4, 2003. Any one interested in submitting comments on the scoping process may send them to one of the project sponsors listed below:
Christopher A. Waite, P.E.
Executive Project Manager
New York State Thruway Authority
200 Southern Boulevard
Albany, NY 12209
Janet M. Mainiero, AICP
Deputy Project Manager
MTA Metro-North Railroad
347 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Additional information about the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Environmental Review, as well as the history of the Bridge, can be found on the Study web site - www.tzbsite.com.
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