Khurram Saeed

ksaeed@lohud.com

SOUTH NYACK – The solution to the village's problem with the new Tappan Zee Bridge walkway exists — but it costs close to $10 million.

The proposal would meet South Nyack's needs by shifting the spot where the public accesses the path to Interchange 10 off the Thruway.

Instead of pedestrians and cyclists entering or exiting the shared path in a residential neighborhood, they would connect directly to the existing Esposito Trail from a pedestrian bridge. A 54-space parking lot and comfort station would be a short distance away, keeping visitors off of most local streets.

Greg Toolan, the village resident who worked with state Thruway Authority engineers on concepts, says its biggest advantage is that it would allow bridge builder Tappan Zee Constructors to keep using the spacious interchange as a construction staging area for the next four years. And most importantly for residents, it does away with the state's intended terminus at South Broadway and Cornelison Avenue, which he says is simply unsafe.

Aside from reconfiguring some of the exit's ramps, Toolan, a land surveyor and member of the village Tappan Zee Bridge Task Force, said the Thruway Authority could still maintain that staging area and "when it's all done, give something back to the village of South Nyack."

But the $9.4 million estimated price tag for revamping Interchange 10 is a non-starter for the state. According to project documents, it would require land acquisitions and easements; construction of a short tunnel that would close a key bridge; and require "significant" environmental reviews.

Brian Conybeare, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's special adviser on the Tappan Zee project, said the state, at the village's request, has already spent "hundreds of thousands of dollars to relocate the end of the shared use path once" — from Smith Street to Cornelison Avenue.

"Now the mayor wants to move it again, at an estimated cost of nearly $10 million, and her plan would require a year-long closure of the South Broadway bridge in the heart of the village, disrupting traffic and emergency services," Conybeare said in a statement. "The New NY Bridge Community Benefits Program has already approved a $250,000 grant for South Nyack to study the feasibility of redeveloping Interchange 10, and while we will continue to work with the village on reasonable solutions, we also have a responsibility to protect taxpayers and tollpayers."

Project officials informed South Nyack Mayor Bonnie Christian and other village officials late last week that the Exit 10 option was too expensive and potentially impractical, given that the village wants to bring business to the site after the new bridge opens in 2018, which may require further changes.

Village officials and residents did not take the decision well, issuing angry denouncements and putting up signs of protest.

"I don't think the residents of South Nyack care how much it's going to cost as long as we preserve our village," Christian said.

The two sides can't even agree on what the state had set out to study for these past few months. South Nyack officials and residents said they were expecting to see ideas for different locations for the path's terminus; the state said village officials knew all along it was focusing on parking options.

Twitter: @ksaeed1