Safety crackdown around NY’s Tappan Zee Bridge

Published June 27, 2014 6:09pm ET



PIERMONT, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities are increasing safety patrols around the Hudson River construction zone at New York’s Tappan (TAP’-uhn) Zee Bridge.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Sheriff Louis Falco III say local law enforcers will be coordinating their efforts with the Coast Guard.

They’ll include a crackdown on impaired boaters.

Last July, two boaters were killed and four injured when their powerboat crashed into a barge. The area around the Tappan Zee is now far more congested with construction vessels than at the time of the crash.

There’s also been a history of barges breaking loose at the construction site.

The state Thruway Authority has issued precise guidelines for recreational boating in the area.

The bridge links Rockland and Westchester counties.