Homeowners, workers clash in Newsday, News12 Tappan Zee meeting

Homeowners and tradesmen quizzed state and county officials about the $5.2 billion plan to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge during a town hall meeting Thursday night in Tarrytown sponsored by Newsday and News12.

Ian Joseph, 44, of Mt. Vernon, came with a message: Build the bridge -- and build it fast.

"There's a need for the bridge and there's a need for jobs," said Joseph, a vice president of an Edgewater, NJ infrastructure supply company. "...Expedite what needs to be done."

Homeowners varied in their views. Some said they saw new bridge as a necessity, but others worried about noise.

Victoria Ficco-Panzer, 68, has lived about 100 yards from the bridge in Salisbury Point since 1996. Her concerns were noise, debris and pollution.

"I thought I was set for the rest of my life," she said, "Now I'm concerned."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has cast the bridge replacement as a multibillion-dollar investment that will create tens of thousands of jobs, not only for the construction trades but mom-and-pop stores in neighboring towns.

Experts appearing at "The New Tappan Zee" meeting were: Thomas Madison, the executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority; Ross Pepe, the president of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley; Phillip Musegaas, program director for the environmental group Riverkeeper; Edward Buroughs, commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Planning; Thomas B. Vanderbeek, commissioner for Rockland County Planning & Public Transportation; and Larry Schwartz, the secretary to Cuomo.

Schwartz was to the point in this assessment:

"We need to build a new bridge," Schwartz said to applause. "This bridge is unsustainable."

But Riverkeeper lambasted officials for leaving local communities out of the discussions about noise and environmental issues.

"The larger theme here is a lack of public accountability," Musegaas said. "It creates a lot of uncertainty, ... a lot of confusion. The public deserves detailed information on what the bridge is going to cost."

An hour before the meeting, dozens of union workers already were gathered outside the hotel and in the lobby.

Some came straight from their job; most wore hard hats, jeans, T-shirts and work boots.

A few carried a large sign: "Build the Bridge."

The workers, representing various teamsters and locals, said they heard about the gathering through word of mouth from the "brotherhood" and expected about 800 of their colleagues in the trades to show up.

Frank Alexander, 51, of Larchmont, a member of Teamsters Local 456, said he has done work on the current bridge and that it's clear to him that a new bridge is needed immediately.

"You're putting Band-Aids where you need a surgeon," he said.

He also wanted to stress that the jobs need to go to the union folks, saying a new bridge could translate to hundreds of jobs for his local.

"There's a lot of people with family who have been out of work," said John Catania, 47, of Mahopac, a member of Ornamental Ironworkers Local 580. "This is a big job that could put us to work."

Although he currently is employed on Wards Island, he had previously been out of work for three months and knows fellow local members who are currently out of a job.

"Most of us took a hit with the economy being so bad," Catania said.

Joseph Scileppi, 57, of Jefferson Valley, with Teamsters Local 456, said he has not had a steady job since 2011, instead working a day here and there. He has lost his health insurance benefits and is desperate for work, he said.

"It's key to the economic health of our area," he said.

Cuomo already had persuaded 14 major trade unions to sign on to the project, ensuring that it won't be marred by labor lockouts that could cost upward of $1 million per day.

"For too long, we have talked about replacing the Tappan Zee, and we cannot wait any longer," Cuomo said two weeks ago. "Now is the time for action."

And, aides say, relieving congestion on a bridge that links Westchester and Rockland counties will mean more major companies willing to relocate their workforce here.

Traffic on the 1,212-foot-long span has swelled to an average of 138,000 per day -- 38,000 more than its anticipated capacity when the bridge opened for traffic in 1955. For commuters, the morning and afternoon rush hours have become a predictable bumper-to-bumper crawl.

And, aides say, more than doubling the number of lanes on the new bridge to 15 will not only improve traffic flow but will address safety issues that have dogged the bridge for decades. There are no shoulder or breakdown lanes on the bridge.

But before any of this can happen, Cuomo will have to clear a number of hurdles.

Among them:

-- Financing. Cuomo has yet to announce how he intends to pay for the bridge, calling it "a work in progress." And it's not yet clear whether President Barack Obama's administration, though friendly to a fellow Democrat, will come through with a $2 billion federal transportation loan.

Transportation analyst Charles Komanoff has predicted that the current $5 one-way toll ($4.75 with E-ZPass) on the bridge could double or even triple if the project is hampered by cost overruns or decreased traffic.

-- Environment. Environmental groups want to know whether dredging will stir up metal toxins and herbicides that will destroy the aquatic environment under the bridge. The Cuomo administration is working closely with environmental groups to address their concerns before the project moves ahead.

-- Local opposition. Neighboring towns want to know whether their communities' quality of life will be destroyed by noise and traffic during the life of the construction project. In recent months, residents have been turning out at town hall meetings in places like Tarrytown and South Nyack to quiz public officials for details.

-- Mass transit. Republicans in Westchester and Rockland counties say Cuomo needs to include mass transit or a dedicated bus lane on the bridge's span before he wins their support for the project.

"There should be mass transit from the outset, not some future fantasy date in the long run that will never happen," Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino told Newsday this week. "We haven't gotten any commitment on that from the governor or the Thruway Authority. And that's a concern. We don't want this bridge to meet the needs of yesterday. We want it to be built so that this region can expand."

Cuomo has emphasized the need to get the project done quickly and has opened the door for discussion of a mass transit component after the bridge is finished.

At Thursday's town hall, Schwartz warned that adding a mass transit component now could double or triple the cost.

"It will drive people out of the Hudson Valley region," he said.

Bids are due July 27 from the four companies vying to design and build the crossing. Construction could begin by the middle of 2013.

Thursday's audience included homeowners from Westchester and Rockland counties concerned that their property values could plummet during construction of one of the nation's largest planned public works projects.

The event's moderator, News12 anchor Brian Conybeare, directed audience questions to each panelist, depending on expertise. Newsday reporter Betty Ming Liu and columnist Gerald McKinstry also questioned panelists.

The 90-minute event kicked off at 7:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown.

The meeting is being aired on News12 and streamed on News12.com and on the Newsday/Westchester app. Viewers can follow the live discussion and weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NewTZ or submit questions through News12's Facebook page.