NEW YORK, NY — The I Lift NY super crane arrived in New York Harbor on Jan. 30 and was welcomed by project officials and members of the media as it completed its 6,000-mile journey.
The super crane and its accompanying tug boats were escorted into the harbor around 9 a.m. Thursday, after traveling from San Francisco Bay to New York. The journey began late last year and now I Lift NY will undergo preparation for the project at a private facility in The Port of New York and New Jersey, where it will remain until it’s brought to the site of the New NY Bridge this spring.
Recently nicknamed I Lift NY, the super crane is owned by Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) and is officially registered with the U.S. Coast Guard as the Left Coast Lifter.
Updated information about I Lift NY’s journey, including photos and video, is available at NewNYBridge.com.
The northbound, right-hand lane and shoulder of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) near exit 10 in Nyack will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3. This same section of roadway will be closed on Friday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., to allow for work on the northbound maintenance ramp.
The southbound, right-hand lane and shoulder of the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) near exit 10 in Nyack will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning Tuesday, Feb. 4, through Thursday, Feb. 6.
Mariners should be aware that TZC will continue installing permanent piles in the vicinity of the side channels under the existing bridge, weather permitting. Pile driving will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and occasionally between noon and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. New temporary navigational lights have been installed to further define the 600-foot navigation channel under the main span. Both temporary and permanent piles are illuminated at night.
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a revised Notice to Mariners with updated safety information, including the establishment of a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) – 300 yards north and 200 yards south of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a modified permit for additional temporary mooring locations during construction of the new bridge. All boaters are advised to use the main channel, reduce wake and use extreme caution while transiting the area. If necessary, the Coast Guard may temporarily prohibit all vessel traffic in the RNA for safety purposes. The Coast Guard boating safety information and the modified mooring permit map can be found on the project website at NewNYBridge.com under the “Boater Safety” icon.
Ongoing Operations:
• Rockland access ramp modifications
• Armoring of dredge channel
• River Road utility work
• Test pile program
• Permanent pile installation
• Temporary Rockland trestle construction, including pile driving on weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Survey inspections on existing bridge
• Support for river-based work from the Rockland shoreline
• Reinforcement steel pre-assembly at bridge yard