Ramp From Route 9 To Tappan Zee Bridge To Close Until 2018

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Beginning next Monday, the entrance ramp to the Tappan Zee Bridge from Route 9 in Tarrytown will be closed for several years as construction of the new bridge progresses.

Officials with the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project feel confident the long-term closure will not produce the kind of traffic jams that happened during three nights in December when the ramp was closed, the Journal News reported.

Officials said the ramp closure then was not to blame back in December. They said a snowstorm, a truck fire and other problems contributed to the miles-long traffic backup.

The state Thruway Authority said the ramp in Tarrytown will be closed until 2018, when the new bridge is slated to open.

The ramp will be used as a construction staging area for the new $3.9 billion span.

Electronic signs will alert drivers to any problems.

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