Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Tappan Zee Bridge

The Incredible Disappearing Stakeholder Meeting for Cuomo’s Tappan Zee

Tappan Zee Bridge stakeholders were invited to speak on the Cuomo administration's draft environmental impact statement...

Time was, the public outreach for the new Tappan Zee Bridge included five different Stakeholders' Advisory Working Groups. Each let interested parties dig deeper into issues like the environmental impact of the bridge or how the new transit service might affect development.

Now, however, Governor Andrew Cuomo has "fast-tracked" the construction of a replacement Tappan Zee by scrapping the popular transit elements and plowing ahead with a bloated $5 billion plan to double the size of the bridge. Under the governor's new timeline, there's no more room for public stakeholders to weigh in on the bridge.

Two weeks ago, the stakeholders were invited to the latest meeting of their working groups to discuss the recently-released draft environmental impact statement for the highway-only bridge. Yesterday, they learned that their meeting had been cancelled. They were invited to attend the mandated DEIS public comment sessions, but no other stakeholder meetings have been scheduled.

... until the state decided that stakeholders didn't need to continue participating in the public process anymore.

A spokesperson for the State Department of Transportation said that the first invitation was a "clerical error" and should not have been sent. The spokesperson would not say whether the meeting had been scheduled and then cancelled or how a date, time, and location were generated for a meeting that was never planned.

It's just one more sign that under Governor Cuomo, public outreach on the bridge has effectively ended. Even though there's no plan to even pay for the bridge, it's full-steam ahead with an oversized and transit-less bridge. It's Cuomo's way or the highway -- except that on the Tappan Zee Bridge, those are the same option.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Sean Duffy’s ‘Great America Road Trip’ Wants You to Drive to Central Park

Sean Duffy's "Great American Road Trip" encourages Americans to drive to sites in the most transit-rich and car-choked parts of the country.

July 3, 2025

Ex-DOT Official Warns NYC’s ‘Counterproductive’ E-bike Speed Limit Will Curb Biking, Safety

The mayor is working overtime to undo the decade of gains for cycling in the Big Apple, a former de Blasio administration official told Streetsblog.

July 3, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Just the News Edition

Things are slowing down for summer, but not entirely. Here's the news.

July 3, 2025

DOT Boss Defends Adams’s ‘Vision Zero’ Record As Agency Fights A Bike Lane in Court

Traffic fatalities are down and the DOT is taking a victory lap — even as it argues against a protected bike lane in court.

July 2, 2025

Cyclist Arrested After Crash with Electric ‘One-wheel’-Style Unicycle

Carolyn Backus is charged with fleeing the scene of a crash causing serious injury, but the details are murky.

Wednesday’s Headlines: Return of Summer Streets Edition

Summer Streets is back and bigger than ever. Plus more news.

July 2, 2025
See all posts