5 things to expect on your Tappan Zee Bridge commute

Summer vacation is over, the kids are heading back to school and traffic patterns on the Tappan Zee Bridge are about to change.

The bridge was the poster child for congestion in our region long before construction of its $4 billion replacement started a few years ago. Now with so much to gawk at in the Hudson River, the 3-mile drive across the span seems to drag on even longer, especially during rush hour.

"Generally, the traffic volume over the Tappan Zee Bridge is about the same or slightly lower in September as compared to the peak tourism months over the summer," Thruway Authority spokeswoman Jennifer Givner said. "In September, traffic volume tends to be more concentrated during the morning and evening peak travel periods."

About 134,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day.

Here are a few things you'll face as you cross the bridge this fall.

Rubbernecking is a thing

Thomas Mannion works in construction so he understands that drivers on the Tappan Zee are fascinated to see huge cranes at work.

But at 7:15 a.m., as he's making his way from his home in Palisades to his job in Port Chester, it gets annoying to see people slow down to gawk.

"It's frustrating when you look over and see other drivers take out their phones to take pictures of the bridge," said Mannion, 39.

State Police Sgt. William Collins agreed that it is hard to resist a quick look at the eye-level construction.

But he doesn't think it'll be a major problem during peak rush beyond the first few days of the return of back-to-school commuters.

"People who drive it every day, they see it and get used to it. The rubbernecking effect isn't there," said Collins, who is with Troop T in West Nyack.

Mannion, a project manager for Ahearn Holtzman Inc., said the end of summer could add another 15 minutes to his ride over the bridge, meaning it can take close to 45 minutes to cross into Westchester.

He said the key is to get there by 7 a.m., which is no easy task as he first has to drop off his 3-year-old daughter at day care.

"Ten minutes can make a huge difference," he said. "Anytime from 7:15 on is a crap shoot."

Here comes the sun

Heading east over the Tappan Zee Bridge during the morning commute can be blinding. The sun is in your eyes as you head east from Spring Valley all the way to the bridge, Collins said.

"You see the traffic back up and slow down," he said.

The sun rises around 6:25 a.m. these days, and will advance by a minute each day until Oct. 31, or Halloween, when it appears at 7:25 a.m.

The glare can bring traffic to a crawl but will progressively affect those who commute later during rush hour.

When Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 1, sunrise ticks back to 6:26 a.m.

The 'twist' going home

Jim Morris of Airmont has been commuting over the Tappan Zee Bridge for two decades.

"I've seen it all," he said. "But this year has probably been the worst I've seen in my 22 years of commuting."

It's not just the rubbernecking that slows traffic but the "twist" as you approach the bridge from Westchester.

The tight curve and narrow lanes can make the roadway feel like a race course.

"When you got a big truck next to you, it makes it tough," said Morris, who runs a group home for foster children in Irvington.

But Morris isn't dreading the trek across the Tappan Zee. This will be his last week of commuting as he's relocating to Texas.

"There's a light end of the tunnel," Morris says with a laugh. "Or a light at the end of the bridge."

The worst gridlock

Tappan Zee congestion aside, it can be a grind getting around the tri-state region by car.

How bad is it?

A new study finds that the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region is the fourth most gridlocked in the nation.

According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the traffic data company INRIX, those travel delays cost every commuter $1,739 annually, including wasting 35 gallons of gas, ranking us at the top of the list.

Lane closures

There's a little more work left to set up the system that will collect tolls electronically from Tappan Zee drivers in South Nyack.

While it shouldn't affect commuters, Tappan Zee Constructors is scheduled to install an overhead steel frame above the Exit 10 on-ramp to the southbound Thruway.

The work will take place overnight for several days and will require closing up to three southbound lanes approaching Exit 11 in Nyack.

From today to Wednesday, one right lane will shut down at 8 p.m., followed by another lane at 9 p.m. and a third lane at 11 p.m. The Exit 10 on-ramp will close at 10 p.m. The lanes will reopen by 4:30 a.m. the following the day and the on-ramp by 5 a.m.

Under the new system, drivers won't have to slow down to pay tolls. Funds will be collected via E-ZPass or car owners will be mailed a monthly bill, based on photo records of their license plates.

All-electronic toll collection is expected to begin next spring.

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