The Tappan Zee Bridge was named for the local native American tribe the "Tappan", and zee , the Dutch word for "sea."
It’s just over 3 miles long, with a center span of 1,212 feet.
The bridge was built at the Hudson River's second-widest point which added to construction costs. Duh. The site was chosen to be as close as possible to New York City while staying out of the 25-mile range of the Port Authority's sphere of influence. Politics uber alles.
Construction began in March 1952 and the bridge opened for traffic on December 15, 1955.
It has seven lanes of traffic, the center lane switching from eastbound in the morning to westbound in the evening.
It costs $5 coming in eastbound, but it’s always free to leave. lol Don’t let the toll gate hit you on the way out.
This deteriorating structure bears far more traffic than it was designed for and was featured on the History Channel “The Crumbling of America." Gee, that’s encouraging.
I love the look of this bridge. Because it’s a favored suicide leap it features four hot-line telephones with signs pleading "Life is Worth Living".
A $16 billion dollar replacement plan to include commuter light rail and high speed bus lanes is under environmental impact review, but at present there is no available financing.
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