This weekend, New Yorkers will be able to see the demolition of the old Tappan Zee Bridge along the Hudson.
The demolition is set to take place on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., unless weather forces it to move to Sunday morning instead. Assuming weather permits, the 672-foot bridge will come down in all of 30-seconds; but that’s not stopping restaurants from hosting viewing parties!
The Piermont pier will be accessible during the blast for onlookers to get a waterfront view of the detonation, but only be pedestrians not vehicles. Places will also be running brunch or breakfast specials, like Pier 701’s breakfast buffet with open deck for viewing from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.; the Rivertown Taphouse breakfast buffet with mimosas and Bloody Marys from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.; Bunbury’s Coffee Shop will be giving away a cookie in the bridge’s honor; and a handful of others along the Hudson like the Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry. It will be visible from Westchester and Rockland shores.
Tappan Zee Bridge is 62-years-old will come down in a controlled demolition. As nj.com reports,
Specifically, a carefully timed concussion is supposed to send the east bridge anchor toppling away from the new Mario Cuomo bridges and into steel nets below to keep it out of the Hudson River, according to the New York State Thruway Authority. The west anchor will be dismantled by contractors, said Jennifer Givens, a thruway spokeswoman…
…Drivers who don’t want to get stuck traffic should stay away from the New York Thruway early Saturday morning. Thruway traffic will be held for about 45 minutes between Exit 11 for Nyack and Exit 9 for Tarrytown, starting at 9 a.m., officials said. The new Thruway bridge will be reopened once it is inspected.
The demolition will be streamed online for those who aren’t looking to get out of bed to watch. The streaming will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, January 12, on lohud.com, their Facebook page, and most news outlets as well.