Governor Announces Selection of TZ Bridge Review Team

County Transportation Commissioner Appointed to Team

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday a selection review team for the new bridge to replace the Tappan Zee.

The review team consists of renowned artists and architects, under the auspices of the New York State Council of the Arts. These team members will review proposed bridge designs as well as assist local community leaders and transportation experts in the evaluation process.

On the team are: Jeffrey Koons, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Thomas P. Campbell, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Keith Brownlie, an internationally acclaimed bridge designer, among others.

The selection process will evaluate the technical quality of the proposals in conjunction with pricing information. The goal is to identify the proposal that offers the best value to New York State.

The “best value” approach looks at factors like design and long-term quality of the project. This is to ensure that the proposal chosen meets the needs of the region, the transportation system and the toll payers.

Specifically, the review team will be looking for the best price for toll payers, bridge structure and design, investment in future transit options, traffic management plan, and more.

The review team members will undergo rigorous training before beginning the bid evaluation process as required by federal law. Once the evaluation process is complete, the review team can recommend one of the three bids submitted in July, authorize negotiations with one or more bidders based on its submission, or authorize a request for a best and final offer from multiple bidders before it sends a final recommendation to the Governor.

When the review team has made its recommendation, the Thruway Authority, subject to the approval of its Board, will make a final formal decision.

Rockland County will be represented on the design team by county executive Scott Vanderhoef, who has Rockland Count Commissioner of Planning and Public Transportation, Tom Vanderbeek, to be his representative on the team.

“I am honored to be involved in this very important project and look forward to working with the committee,” said Vanderbeek.

  rockland county, Tappan Zee Bridge, vanderbeck, Vanderhoef