New Mario Cuomo Bridge Sees Sharp Plummet in Crashes Compared to Old Tappan Zee

By Yitzy Fried 

The Mario M. Cuomo bridge, which is the span connecting Westchester and Rockland counties, was opened to commuters in 2018 and replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge, one of the older bridges in New York State. 

The data has come in, and according to LoHud, crashes on the bridge are sharply lower than what they were on its predecessor, and instances of collisions in 2022 are lower than even last year on this very same bridge. 

“Thruway spokesman Khurram Saeed said crash rates last year on the Hudson River crossing between Westchester and Rockland were about one-third of what they were just five years earlier, with the same volume of traffic,” LoHud wrote.  

The report cited the move to cashless tolls and the removal of the toll plaza altogether as reasons for this sharp decrease. It also noted the difference in the bridge’s design, with drivers getting on the bridge on a slight curve, which has led to this decrease as well. 

The report said other factors are the number of lanes and the presence of emergency shoulders.