No vote held on naming of new TZ bridge naming despite 100K+ petition

Save Our Tappan Zee, Inc. and fellow travelers, including the Rockland County Times own ombudsman, Dr. Louis Alpert, dropped a petition in Albany last week representing over 110,000 Hudson Valley residents who want to see the Tappan Zee name preserved in the name of the new bridge span. Despite the movement’s widespread public support,  the Assembly would not bring the matter to a vote, reportedly because Governor Cuomo forbid leading Democrats from doing so. 

The petition’s message read: “Return the Tappan Zee name to OUR bridge. The bridge was re-named the Mario M Cuomo Bridge in 2017 without public input. Senate bill 7671 (currently awaiting vote on the Senate floor) and its companion bill in the Assembly, 8914, propose a compromise: The Mario M. Cuomo / Tappan Zee Bridge. The bills require that current signs not be changed. Governor: Won’t you support a compromise?”

The issue will remain a live one at least through the end of this year’s election cycle.  Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R-Brewster)  has promised to revisit the issue in September.

  byrne, mario, save tappan zee