Press Release

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Contact: Charles Carrier
New York State Department of Transportation
518-457-6400

SCOPING COMPLETED ON TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE/I-287 CORRIDOR PROJECT
Report Summarizes Analysis, Public Comments and
Plans for Moving Forward
Stakeholder Group on Finance to be Established in June,
Enhancing Public Outreach

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee, New York Thruway Authority Executive Director Michael Fleischer and Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut today announced completion of the “Scoping Summary Report” for the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project, finalizing last fall’s recommendations to replace the bridge and add bus rapid transit (BRT) and commuter rail transit (CRT) to the corridor. Finishing the report, a compilation of project issues and alternatives being examined through the federal environmental review process, formally marks the beginning of the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) phase, which will involve detailed environmental analysis

The agency executives also announced that a new Stakeholder Advisory Working Group on Finance will be formed this month, further enhancing extensive public outreach efforts and providing a fifth working group of area citizens who collaborate with the project team through briefings and discussion.

“Last year, we announced procedural changes and made specific bridge and transit recommendations that will expedite review and implementation of the Tappan Zee project, providing significant cost savings as a result,” Acting Commissioner Gee said. “Completion of this Scoping Summary Report, which details what we will be studying and how we’re going to do it, is a significant step forward. Throughout the project development process ahead, we will continue to engage the public. The new Stakeholder Advisory Working Group on Finance is yet another way we are reaching out to local communities, providing public feedback and incorporating public input as the project goes forward.”

"Completion of the Scoping Summary Report is a significant step forward in examining the best way to meet the transportation demands of today and the future," said Thruway Authority Executive Director Michael R. Fleischer. "The new Stakeholder Advisory Working Group on Finance is demonstrative of the fact that while there is more work that remains to be done, the public’s continued hands-on participation is essential to develop these transportation solutions. While the Study progresses, the Authority will continue to make investments in the Bridge to assure safe and efficient travel for motorists.”

“For a study of this magnitude, the completion of scoping is a major accomplishment," said Metro-North President Howard Permut. "It means that we can now begin to finalize the Draft Environmental Impact Statement which will bring us closer to a regional solution to transportation and mobility needs in the corridor and the mid-Hudson region.”

NYSDOT is the lead agency managing the corridor study, in coordination with MTA / Metro-North Railroad and the New York State Thruway Authority and in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration. The “Scoping Summary Report” has been accepted by all five of those agencies.

As analysis of the project proceeds, public outreach will continue through various public meetings, including an open house planned for this fall that will present the details of the project alternatives being evaluated. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be completed in the summer of 2010, with a Final Environmental Impact Statement and FHWA and FTA agency Records of Decision in the spring of 2011.

Scoping is part of the environmental review process the project is undergoing as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Scoping defines the issues and alternatives that will be examined in detail in the project’s Environmental Impact Statement, identifies the people and agencies that may be affected by the project and outlines the methodologies to be used in the study. Completion of the “Scoping Summary Report” closes scoping, and marks the beginning of the DEIS in which analysis will proceed on the project alternatives that have been identified.

Scoping on the Tappan Zee project began in 2003, but was reopened last year when the project team decided to modify the environmental review process into a tiered process which sequences the development and implementation of the bridge, highway and transit components of the multi-modal project. The process adjustment also significantly enhanced the public participation component of the project as the updated scope, methodologies and recommendations made last year were all subject to public comment.

In February 2008, the team reissued the Notice of Intent for the project, triggering the scoping update, which the issuance of the Scoping Summary Report officially concludes. Several recommendations were made during the update, including key ones last September to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge and construct a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system along the 30-mile highway corridor across Westchester and Rockland counties in the lower Hudson Valley. Also recommended was a Commuter Rail Transit (CRT) system across Rockland County and the new Tappan Zee Bridge to provide commuters access to New York City.

The “Scoping Summary Report” contains revisions to the early 2008 “Scoping Update Packet,” as well as a summary of public comments received during 2003 and 2008 and responses to them. The “Scoping Comments Report,” an appendix to the summary report, provides a more-detailed record of the comments that were received.

The summary report also contains specifics on the bridge replacement, BRT and CRT proposals and incorporates by reference two major technical reports: “Transit Mode Selection Report” and “Alternatives Analysis for Rehabilitation and Replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge,” both of which were published in draft last fall and put to public comment.

Since last September, six public meetings and a formal public comment period have been held regarding the project recommendations. The report reflects the comments received.

To enhance the already extensive public outreach on the project, a new Stakeholder Advisory Working Group (SAWG) will be formed this month to address issues related to financing. Four existing SAWGs cover topics related to the environment, traffic and transit, land use and bridge design. The groups have met dozens of times and have been well attended.

These working groups allow for hands-on sessions that enable the project team to present details to the public in an interactive, small-group setting. Participants, consisting of community residents, elected officials, representatives of public interest groups and professional experts, are then able to provide feedback on that information.

The creation of a Finance SAWG will enrich the work underway for determining how to pay for the project. The first milestone of this effort was the release on November 21, 2008 of the “Preliminary Financial Studies, Phase 1 Report,” which illustrated the difficulties of financing a project of this magnitude. That document provided an overview of the financial challenge ahead and case studies of a dozen large transportation projects recently constructed in the United States and abroad.

Earlier this year, NYSDOT retained Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. of New York City to serve as the project’s financial advisor. The Merrill Lynch team is responsible for developing financing solutions to fund the proposed $16 billion bridge replacement and multi-modal transportation improvement project. The team is scheduled to produce a report by next winter that offers a focused set of plausible funding strategies backed by a financial analysis and a roadmap for pursuing each strategy.

The Finance SAWG will be informed by findings and insights as the Financing Study progresses and provide opportunities for public comments that can be considered by the study team.

To view the “Scoping Summary Report” or obtain more information about joining the Finance SAWG, please visit www.tzbsite.com or contact the project office at (914) 358-0600. Information also is available at the project’s two community outreach centers: