Trying to find my way home

| 21 Jul 2016 | 04:02

By Nancy Kriz
Traveling across the Hudson River returned to its usual stress levels when the Tappan Zee Bridge reopened following Tuesday’s crane accident.
The traffic mess began shortly after noon when a MLC 300 crane, manufactured by Manitowoc Cranes, with a 256-foot boom, fell on the Rockland County side and on all lanes of the bridge, shutting it down in both directions for hours. It is one of 28 being used in the construction of the bridge’s $3.9 billion replacement.
While four people were injured, none of the injuries were life-threatening, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted was “nothing short of a miracle” at a briefing later that day. The accident investigation continues.
Still, tens of thousands of drivers, among 138,000 cars bridge officials say travel across it on weekdays, found themselves sitting in stalled traffic for hours or rerouted along rarely traveled roads in an effort to get to their destinations. Many bemoaned their gridlock misfortune as much as they were thankful to know there were no injuries and the bridge was cleared by inspectors and reopened later that afternoon.
And some, ever mindful of the power of social media, used that platform to become impromptu traffic reporters or to offer commentary about their predicaments.

Turn on the radio

Highland Mills resident Michele Kogan was returning home with daughter Rachel from a physician appointment Rachel had in Tarrytown, leaving the campus close to 1 p.m. on Route 9 to connect to Route 119 and the bridge entrance, only to have entrance ramp blocked by a police car.
Turning on the radio, she heard “crane collapse.”
“I tried to turn around but Route 9 North was frozen, so the cops directed us onto Interstate 287 East, then to Interstate 684,” she said. “I think they were trying to get people as far away from the bridge as possible. My GPS kept trying to take me back to the bridge, despite me telling it to go to Bear Mountain and Newburgh. Eventually, I set it to Ossining knowing I could get onto (Route) 9 from there. Traffic was crawling. Took an hour to go five miles.”
Kogan said she heard the Annsville traffic circle was closed and cars weren’t being allowed onto Route 6 - aka “the goal trail” - to get to the Bear Mountain Bridge.
“I luckily got to the circle right as they were redirecting the traffic so I got to the Bear Mountain Bridge very slowly,” she said. “There also was a three car accident on the goat trail. That stalled traffic even more. Once we got to the bridge, it was clear. The Bear Mountain traffic circle was jammed, but we got onto the Route 6 exit in just a few minutes. Total trip was 3.5 hours from the hospital to home.”
Kogan, the administrative assistant for her husband’s accounting firm, posted her crawling driving adventures on Facebook with editorialized photo postings like “My life for the past 2 hrs...5 miles from Bear Mountain Bridge.”

Running on fumes

Likewise, Kerry Connelly of Washingtonville had her own stalled driving story, sitting in a dead stop on the Tappan Zee Bridge, not far from where the fallen crane sat, for hours.
“I was at a doctor’s appointment in Westchester,” said Connelly, the sales manager at Four Points by Sheraton at Stewart Airport in Newburgh and the hip hop instructor at Terpsichore the Dancerschool in Monroe. “The crane fell three minutes after I got onto the bridge. I was in the middle and we all found out that it was a crane. I thought we were going to be on the bridge all day. It took about two and a half hours until I was off the bridge.”
Ever social media mindful, Connelly’s her first Facebook post read: “What a beautiful day to be stuck on the Tappan Zee Bridge! I’m gonna be here for a really long time.”
And what’s a cool thing to do while at a standstill on the mid-span?
Grab a bridge selfie, of course.
“At least I got some pics,” her second post read, showing Connelly doing what virtually no one gets to do: Standing on the bridge’s northbound side among cars and other drivers who wondering what to do to pass the time.
Later, Connelly said: “I honestly think that everyone worked really hard to get us off the bridge. My biggest fear was running out of gas since my light was on. It could have been so much worse.”

The Bronx to Monroe via the Taconic to I-84

Facebook friends stuck in traffic found themselves talking with other Facebookers dealing also with the crane accident.
Monroe resident Greg Gilligan posted on Kogan’s feed that he opted to re-route himself from the Bronx to Monroe via the Taconic Parkway to Interstate 84 and the Newburgh- Beacon Bridge.
“I was already in the Bronx doing work when the crane accident happened,” he said later. “I use the Bear Mountain Bridge when I go down to city as it’s less congested and it’s cheaper. I was listening to WABC as I usually do. I then switched over to Newsradio 88 to get traffic information. Many people were already starting to use the Bear Mountain Bridge coming back up.”
After hearing of that bridge’s traffic delays, Gilligan decided to drive the extra 30 miles as part of his circuitous route home.
“I’m glad that I did,” he added. “There was no traffic at all. I sailed over the bridge then got on (Route) 9W South and went to Cornwall and picked up Route 32. I was hearing that the Palisades North and the traffic circle were at a standstill. Normally that’s how I would travel also. I actually made the right choice for once.”

Sitting in a car, doing the Macarena

Despite her long trip home from Westchester, Kogan said drivers along her route were in great moods.
“My daughter and I figured we were stuck anyway, why get angry?” she said. “So we waved at other drivers, ‘danced in the car,’ making other drivers laugh, watched the guy behind us practice his boxing workout with jabs and punches. Most people were in a decent mood, realizing there was nothing they could do about the situation.”
She admired the attitude of others, too.
“I think the guy in the Manhattan Beer Distributor truck may have been the most fun, waving and dancing along with us - it’s amazing how many songs you can do the Macarena to while sitting in a car,” Kogan said. “So while I could have driven to Philadelphia and been eating a cheese steak in the amount of time it took me to get home, it wasn’t horrible. Got to spend a nice afternoon with my daughter, talked about stuff without her on her (cell) phone. Life is too short to be angry about things out of our control. Just make the best of the situation.”