Mayors of New Rochelle, White Plains and Others Support Tappan Zee Loan

The mayors of New Rochelle, White Plains, Yonkers and Mount Vernon, and the Town Supervisor of Greenburgh, released a statement Tuesday in support of the Tappan Zee Bridge reconstruction loan that uses state clean water fund money.

Noam Bramson, Tom Roach, Mike Spano, Ernie Davis and Paul Feiner said in the statement that the $3.9 billion bridge rebuilding project presents a "tremendous opportunity for New York" and should move forward.

The $511 million loan has come under fire in recent weeks from some state legislators and environmental groups who do not believe the money should be used in such a fashion. In addition to the community leaders who Tuesday said they support the plan, a group of trade organizations have also voiced their support.

Below is the statement from the mayors: 

The Westchester Municipal Officials Association recently sent a letter expressing opposition to the award of a low interest /no interest loan by the Environmental Facilities Corporation from the Clean Water Revolving Fund to the New York State Thruway Authority to fund certain aspects of the new Tappan Zee Bridge project.   As members of the WMOA, we were unaware that this letter had been sent.  The opinions expressed therein are not representative of all the members of the Association, certainly not the undersigned members.  The new Tappan Zee Bridge represents a tremendous opportunity for New York.  It is a project that needs to move forward and Governor Cuomo has shown the leadership needed to bring this project to completion. 

Significant environmental protection measures are being taken in connection with the project.  These are essential but also contribute to the overall cost and will ultimately have an impact on bridge tolls.  This loan would reduce overall project costs, thereby reducing the impact on tolls. We therefore believe it is worthy of serious consideration by the Public Authorities Control Board.