Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge

If you follow my below steps; you’ll be fine crossing this bridge even with all of the crazy construction. If you ignore my steps, nothing will happen but it sounds more dramatic that way.
* Have $ 5 ready or your EZPass (discounted amount for the pass or an even deeper discount if you’re a commuter) ready for the eastbound toll.
* Do not question the toll attendant about the amount to cross the bridge although nowadays everybody has EZ Pass so who even knows what a toll attendant is. (On a brief sidebar, I don’t have EZ Pass so I guess what I said prior is a bit disingenuous.)
* Go the designated speed limit on the bridge.
* Don’t be an asshole and try to pass people. Why? People like to take photos and will go slower than what they should because they are using a cell phone or a camera/​tripod behind the wheel to capture the moment instead of focusing on the road. If you fly by, and they’re not already paying attention — you’re only going to make matters worse.
* If you see someone trying to take photos with their phone; honk at them and waive or you could try to hang out the window in an attempt to photobomb their bridge picture.
* Pray when crossing the bridge that you won’t wreck and fall into the Hudson or that the bridge itself won’t collapse while driving over it. I mean it was deemed structurally deficient years ago.
* If you make a successful crossing, thank your lucky stars and just be glad that soon enough (2017? 2018?) Billions and Billions of our toll dollars will go towards a new bridge that should be solid for hopefully a bit longer than sixty years.

Nice Bridge I miss driving over it daily like I did when I drove tractor trailer people talk trash about this bridge all the time but this bridge is beautiful and smooth compared to the Tobin Bridge in Boston thats where you see a bridge in really bad shape as long as the ugly Tobin Bridge is still standing so will Tappan Zee

I love this bridge, it has a beautiful long view when you are driving towards each end. For some it looks scary cause it’s freaking long. For others it’s very scenic.

You know I don’t understand the hate people have for this bridge. When you look at from a distance it is a really great looking bridge. Is it old. Yes. Does it need constant maintence. Of course. Like everything in this world this fall apart and need to be maintained. This bridge links two sides of New York by one of the widest expanses of the Hudson River. If you look south you get a far away view of Gotham. If you look north you see the beauty that is the end of the palisades and the start of dutchess county. New York along the Hudson is one of the prettiest and distinctive views I’ve ever seen. The Tappan Zee helps service this. Is the traffic a bitch. You bet. Thursday and Friday afternoons in the summer on this route are basically a practice of patience. You will not be moving fast. Is this the bridge’s fault. I think not. Yes the road is full of pot holes and the sections on the west bound side bounce you up and down in a truck but getting to look and beautiful view it provides is quite a treat every time I cross. So cut the bridge a break. If it wasn’t there you would have to travel 30 to 45 mins. to get to the Bear Mountain Bridge. So chill out folks.

The connection between Rockland and Westchester counties, where the suburbanites head for urbanity in search of both leisure or labor. That’s one eastbound road, while the other, the westbound road, has a usually crammed route full of shoppers heading to the Palisades mall or continuing their car trip either towards home or further Westwards into the American expanse. Mid way through this deadingly rusty bridge is a glorious sight — the skyline of New York County. If you’re not behind the wheel, you may take a few photos (with a suicide hot line booth in the frame; this is a bridge with a large number of suicidal incidents) of the faraway beauty. Don’t worry — the government doesn’t care about this elevated heap of crappy iron; there are no signs stating «strict prohibition of photography.»
Traffic comes between four in the afternoon until around seven at night (for the homers). Traffic reemerges in the morning from seven to nine (for the jobbers). During the holiday season, this bridge can get really backed up, especially with that leviathan of a shopping mall a few miles into Rockland County. Traffic wise, if you want to avoid the abominable traffic beast, you can either take a route North and over another bridge to bypass the monstrous car clog. If you want to try another backed up route, you can go down the West Side Highway in Manhattan, only to try the Lincoln Tunnel into Jersey. From there, you can take the NJ interstate route northwards until you arrive in Southern Rockland. The authority tries to regulate the disgusting amount of cars with a neat doohickey that can sometimes be seen as the yellow brick flipping machines, which change the number of lanes to decrease traffic.
In the future, the knuckleheads in Albany might be able to either repair this bridge or get it replaced with a nearby future connection to correct the traffic issues.

Avoid the city
But not the five dollar toll
Or the lane closures
I drive between Boston/​Providence and Philadelphia/​Baltimore a good deal, and along with the Montvale Service Area in NJ, this bridge means I am halfway to where I am going, no matter which direction.
I love the confusing navigation from the South, the slow curve of the road as you round the bend and the Hudson comes into view. Some of the time you’re even lucky enough to get a long, long look at the Hudson as you sit at the toll backup cursing your poor fortune and bad timing. Other times it’s a breeze, sailing over the gently rising and falling expanse with no sign of brake lights.
Sure the bridge itself is kind of hideous, always under some sort of lane closure and in frightful decay. But it is a main benchmark in my Northeast corridor journey. Plus it means I get to stop for the bathroom.

I had no idea you could Unilocal the Tappan Zee bridge.
As NYC area bridges go, this one is rather long and scenic.
Traffic can suck, though.

As a child this bridge always seemed overly long to me. Perhaps it was because it was close to the end of our journey.

I am a big fan of the Tappan Zee Bridge, but maybe that is because I don’t have to deal with the traffic every single day. I love it though because at night time, it looks so pretty all lit up. You can also enjoy a beautiful view of the city from afar.
Another thing I love about this bridge is the median that is movable. A big yellow vehicle straddles those heavy blocks and slides them over for the morning and evening rush hour. In the morning, the Nyack-​bound side has 3 lanes and the Westchester-​bound side has 4 lanes, and in the evening, it is the opposite. You are lucky if you get to see the vehicle in action. I have only seen it three times in my life.
Perhaps the biggest problems with the bridge is the traffic and the expensive $ 5.00 toll. Definitely avoid it if you can during peak times.

So maybe I have never encountered the traffic that the other reviewers have, but I like the Tappan Zee Bridge just fine. It has successfully and quickly (more than the cross bronx) taken me back and forth to Boston from NY on several occasions without too much issue.
Maybe off topic, but the scenery to and from the bridge… breathtaking…

Can’t believe I am actually writing a review for a bridge but here it goes…
The bridge was built when the traffic was not what it is today so, naturally, during peek hours it gets awfully congested. Not only the bridge but the roads leading up to it for about 5 miles (or further depending on the time of day and date). The crew that works the bridge does a good job allocating an extra lane at peek hours. They have a large truck that moves the center divider over. This is a smart feature.
Ultimately this bridge needs to be one direction with another built to serve the other direction.

I drive over this bridge everyday to commute to work. As does my boyfriend. As do several of my friends. Good god, we all loathe it. For a first time driver, this bridge is terrifying with narrow lanes, no shoulder and that crazy moveable median. For a regular driver, and just about any Rockland County resident, it’s simply a fact that regularly degrades everybody’s quality of life.
It’s too old, too out of date, not engineered to handle the traffic that goes over it everyday. The raised road plates are just stupid, and the bridge is clearly falling apart.
The movable median is a long-​term temporary solution that is tearing up the road. From a distance, this bridge looks majestic, however, it simply isn’t built to handle the load it is presently servicing. Sad.

Wow… never would’ve thought they’d be reviews for a bridge, but here’s my 2 cents. This is the worst bridge, EVER. It’s a disaster waiting to happen… every time I’ve driven over it, I had a crazy premonition that it was about to collapse, plunging me in the frigid depths of the Hudson. Plus there’s always traffic, and there’s always some punk-​ass in a douchemobile speeding and weaving in and out of the lanes trying to prove his manhood is bigger than it really is. Thankfully I don’t have to drive it every day anymore. Build a newer, bigger bridge already, NYSTA!

The fear factor on this bridge is definitely higher than normal. Way higher than normal. I rarely go over this bridge, but when we used to go to school (Brandeis in MA) and back, I sometimes caught rides with friends who lived closer to this bridge and we would take it. I’m glad that’s over now (crossing the Tappan Zee, not college).

Driving over the Tappan Zee bridge can be scary when you’re a high-​strung 17 year old from CT. I know first hand. If you’re in the far right lane and look down, you might pee your pants. Easy solution, get in the middle lane. I’ve always driven over the Tappan Zee at off-​peak times, but I’m told it gets absolutely horrible during rush hour. I have crossed the bridge when they’re moving the barrier to create an extra lane on one side, which was pretty cool to see.
The best part though– it’s free to get in to NJ, but you have to pay to get out!

I actually really like this bridge. It’s kind of long, but it doesn’t freak me out as much as some others because it seems lower to the water. The view is beautiful.

Narrow lanes. On the eastbound approach, FM and even Sirius stations can cut out.
I like driving on it. Of course, I cross it when there’s nearly no one awake, let alone on the road. I feel sorry for commuters and similar types.

Gorgeous view. Real narrow lanes. However, I kind of like the thrill speeding back from Upstate NY or going to Woodbury commons. I’ve hit some bad traffic here, but come on, what do you expect?! It’s a major crossway with major highways meeting right before the bridge. Go at an off time when it’s nice out and you’ll appreciate it more.
One thing, it is destined to fall apart if they don’t renovate it soon. Bridges have certain lifespans and this one’s is up soon.

As a prestigious, Purchase College alum, I can testify first-​hand as to how much this bridge is the cross-​way to hell. I have driven over it countless times – whether it was a ride home to Upstate, New York or a simple drive to Northern Westchester – and this bridge provides nothing but sadness and melancholy to anyone who has to sit for countless minutes waiting to cross. In the morning you can forget it. I highly recommend finding an alternate way to get in between Southern and Northern Westchester. Might I suggest swimming?

Yes it’s a nice view.
I’d give this one star so bad. It scares the absolute crap out of me. I’ve driven over this a few times, as well as my friends, going to Palisades, or coming from farther upstate or for whatever reason.
Imagine going fast on a crowded bridge. Some bridges have sidewalks, or some what-​looks-​to-​be secure barrier between your car and the depths below.
This bridge will turn your pants brown. Looking to my side, all I saw was this thin rail of a barrier between me and fuckin’ hundreds of feet of air.