Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge

The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge is a $4 billion replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River.

After ten years of project development by others, AKRF was selected to lead the environmental review process at a critical point when the project was fast-tracked by President Barack Obama as one of 14 high-priority infrastructure projects across the country.

Under an accelerated timeframe that set the standard for NEPA environmental streamlining, AKRF prepared the NEPA Final Environmental Impact Statement in three months with the overall schedule resulting in a Record of Decision fewer than 11 months following the Notice of Intent. The twin-span bridge opened to traffic in 2017.

Industry Honors

2021 ASCE OCEA Bronze Award

2020 APWA Transportation Project of the Year

2019 ASCE Metropolitan Section Design-Build Project of the Year

Our environmental scientists led a comprehensive Atlantic sturgeon monitoring study in the Hudson River.

Compensatory Mitigation Projects Conserve and Protect the Environment

As lead environmental consultant for the new bridge and working as part of the HNTB-led Owner’s Engineer team, AKRF designed and implemented studies to offset or mitigate impacts that became permit conditions to allow the bridge project to proceed.

Compensatory mitigation projects included creation of a 65-foot-wide, 1,000-foot-long channel at Gay’s Point to improve water quality and biological diversity; the design and implementation of green infrastructure practices at a local high school; an oyster restoration program that provided habitat to offset dredging impacts; and the implementation of a sturgeon conservation research and monitoring program.

AKRF also performed technical reviews of bridge demolition plans, the Piermont Marsh sedimentation monitoring scope, and benthic invertebrate monitoring in the dredge footprint.

Extensive Cultural Resources Consulting

The Environmental Impact Statement included substantial cultural resources analyses and consultation by AKRF pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as the Tappan Zee Bridge had been determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and the construction of the new bridge had the potential to affect other nearby historic properties and potentially archaeologically sensitive areas.

Shared-Use Path Opens to Cyclists and Pedestrians

In June 2020, New York State held a grand opening for the shared-use path, a 3.6-mile, 12-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian facility featuring scenic overlooks, digital kiosks, interpretive signage, and public art. AKRF prepared the NEPA Environmental Assessment and supported design of the parking and ancillary facilities for users of the path.