Tappan Zee Replacement's Grand Opening on Friday Spoiled by Closure on Saturday

A grand opening ceremony opened the new Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on Friday, but a collapse hazard on the old Tappan Zee Bridge prevented public traffic from using the bridge on Saturday.

2 minute read

September 10, 2018, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Mario M. Cuomo Bridge

mandritoiu / Shutterstock

"The opening of the second span of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on Saturday was delayed after a piece of its predecessor, the old Tappan Zee Bridge, which is parallel to it, became destabilized and threatened to fall," reports Mihir Zaveri.

"The Tappan Zee was being disassembled when the 'potentially dangerous situation developed' and a piece of the old bridge became destabilized," explains Zaveri. Officials are making sure the old bridge is not a threat to the new bridge before the public can begin to use the new bridge.

Zaveri provides more details about the problem and the potential risk to the new bridge.

Back up just one day, and the news about the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge was much more celebratory, as New York officials, including Govern Andrew Cuomo, celebrated the grand opening of the new bridge.

"In a political, personal and governmental culmination, Gov. Andrew Cuomo opened the new Tappan Zee Bridge in a tearful ceremony that invoked his late father," reports Jimmy Vielkind.

"Andrew Cuomo, 60, has worked for the replacement span since taking office in 2011 and, in the waning hours of the 2017 legislative session, moved his fellow lawmakers to name it for Mario Cuomo, who served three terms as governor from 1983 to 1995," adds Vielkind, to explain the name change and the importance of the vent to the Cuomo administration.

For more coverage of the bridge's opening, Joseph Berger reported on the impending opening of the bridge back at the end of August. Berger focused more on the "two decades of dithering by government officials and four years of herculean drilling, pounding, hauling and lifting by 7,000 workers" it took to complete the bridge.

Saturday, September 8, 2018 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

July 14 - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14 - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press