Tappan Zee Bridge closes: How we said goodbye

SOUTH NYACK - The closure of the old Tappan Zee Bridge Friday night didn't garner much fanfare.

But, just like the opening of the new bridge six weeks ago, there was a vintage car.

Behind the wheel of his 1929 Model A Ford Phaeton, with a police escort in tow, Seth Kestenbaum was the last driver to cross the 61-year-old bridge around 10 p.m.

"If you're first across the bridge, everyone's going to be repeating that," Kestenbaum, a Nyack resident, said after his trip across the Hudson. "I'm the last one to cross the bridge. I've got to tell you, what an honor."

LIVE UPDATES: The closure of the Tappan Zee Bridge

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Friday's traffic shift, where Westchester-bound traffic was moved over to the new, $3.9 billion Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge as the old bridge gets taken out of commission, was a much more laid-back affair than when Rockland-bound traffic was moved over in August.

Unlike in August, there was no ceremony featuring dignitaries from all levels of government and community organizations. Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not make an appearance or make a ceremonial last drive. Unlike opening night, when the new bridge was lit up in blue, the towers and supports went dark.

Only a small handful of people made their way to the South Broadway overpass in South Nyack to take in the scenes.

Among them were Harvey and Barbara Erdsneker, who live in Nyack.

"It's something we'll only see once," said Barbara Erdsneker. "How often do you see a bridge closed down and changed over?

"It's been fascinating to see it go up," she added. "I'm amazed it's on time."

The work started with the closure of the Exit 10 on-ramp just before 9 p.m.

The four lanes on the approach to the bridge were cut down to 2 shortly after 9 p.m. with the last cars making their way across the old bridge around 9:55 p.m.

Traffic was back moving, this time across two lanes on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, at 10:26 p.m

VIDEO: Ride along with reporter Matt Coyne across the new bridge

For the remainder of the night and early morning, work shifted to the Westchester side of the bridge. There, crews worked to lay down blacktop to prepare a portion of 287 that runs through Tarrytown for vehicles.

At around 7:30 a.m., the Exit 9 off-ramp in Tarrytown was reopened, and minutes later, trucks started carrying away the cones that blocked off the other two lanes.

Now that traffic is shifted over, crews will turn their attention to demolishing the old Tappan Zee Bridge, which will be done in stages over a number of months and require the use of the Left Coast Lifter supercrane, while finishing the new bridge.

The entire project is set to be completed sometime in 2018 and will come with wider lanes, breakdown lanes and a proposed bus-only lane to help the 140,000 vehicles that make their way across the bridge daily.

LIVE LOOK: Traffic on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (Westchester-bound traffic at left)

For Kestenbaum, who said he has spent more than an hour trying to cross the bridge in the past, his mostly-solitary final trip came with some temptations.

"If it wasn't for the state trooper escorting me, I probably would've swerved a little, done a couple of circles," he said, with a laugh. "I figured, better keep it on the straight."

Twitter: @coynereports