Cuomo Bridge Is Safe: Federal Highway Administration

NYACK, NY — As controversy continues to swirl around an allegation that the contractor and state officials covered up problems with some of the bolts used to construct the Mario Cuomo Bridge over the Tappan Zee, the Federal Highway Administration said the bridge is safe.

Federal officials issued a statement Monday:

Since the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge went into service in 2017, it has been regularly and thoroughly inspected as required by National Bridge Inspection Standards. These inspections have not revealed any safety issues with the bridge. FHWA is aware of recent allegations of safety issues related to bolt failures, as well as the New York State Thruway Authority’s independent testing and study of these issues. FHWA has reviewed inspection reports and other information from NYSTA and has no safety concerns with these bridges.

Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll and Project Director Jamey Barbas, P.E. welcomed the FHWA's review.

"We want to reiterate that the bridge is completely safe for the traveling public," they said. "As we have previously detailed, the Thruway Authority spent more than one million dollars, brought in world-renowned experts, and studied and tested hundreds of bolts when the issue first arose in 2016. The tests confirmed that the bolts met all required material standards. Additionally, the bridge is routinely inspected and monitored, and for the most recently completed inspection, the bridge was given an excellent condition rating."

The controversy blew up in early March when the Albany Times Union described allegations from a whistleblower in 2017 that the problem posed structural dangers but had been covered up, and called subsequent investigations by New York Inspector General and the state's Attorney General "lackluster."

As calls came to investigate again, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's political enemies recommended taking his father's name off the bridge, Thruway officials reacted with anger.

"To incite a lack of confidence in the traveling public is just reckless, irresponsible and unsound journalism. Public safety is our highest priority and shame on the Times Union for their inaccurate assertions and mischaracterizations," Barbas said.

The new bridge was named after the current governor's father, who was governor of New York from 1983 to 1994. Its name was immediately disliked by many. SEE: Petition Asking For Bridge Name Change Delivered To Albany. The old bridge, named the Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge, was completely dismantled by 2019.

New York State Assemblyman Mike Lawler of Rockland introduced legislation in Albany to change the name of the new bridge to the Tappan Zee Bridge.

He cited both accusations against the governor of inappropriate behavior with women and allegations that the state's rules as the coronavirus outbreak mushroomed that nursing homes could not refuse to take back residents discharged from hospitals led to the virus's fatal spread in those facilities.

The controversy was also picked up by freshman Congressman Mondaire Jones (Rockland, Westchester), who sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg urging the Department of Transportation to open an investigation.

"The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge is at the heart of New York's 17th Congressional District and serves thousands of New Yorkers and out-of-state travelers every day," Congressman Jones wrote. "As many as 144,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. It is key to the economic success of the region and critical to the livelihood of my constituents, many of whom use the bridge to commute to and from work. Therefore, the importance of this issue to my district cannot be overstated. New Yorkers deserve to have confidence in the safety of the bridge, especially those whose livelihoods depend on the bridge."

SEE ALSO:

• Paper Questions Probe Of Bad MC Bridge Bolts
• Rep. Jones Calls For Federal Investigation Into Cuomo Bridge Bolts