Interchange of the Week
Monday, 26 March 2001

New York State Thruway - Exits 9 and 10, Tarrytown-South Nyack

Tappan Zee Bridge

Orientation: The New York State Thruway, carrying the I-87 and I-287 designations, runs left to right. At top left is the Tappan Zee Bridge toll plaza, where payment ($4.00 for passenger cars) is collected in the eastbound direction only. US 9 runs top to bottom along South Broadway through the Village of Tarrytown. NY 119, on White Plains Road, enters at right and ends at US 9.

Exit numbers: Continuing from Week 21 along the New York State Thruway, the next interchange is Exit 9 for US 9, Tarrytown.

The interchange: At this interchange, the northbound (westbound) exit and entrance ramps intersect NY 119, while the southbound (eastbound) ramps meet US 9 directly. To reduce the amount of traffic turning left from southbound US 9 onto NY 119 in order to enter the northbound Thruway, a separate ramp carries this traffic directly. A jughandle serves to further alleviate congestion at the intersection by allowing vehicles to queue up at a traffic signal without obstructing the center of the main highway.

NOTE: Portions of the images on this page appear blurry and indistinct. This is a security measure undertaken by the NYS Office of Cyber Security & Critical Infrastructure Coordination to restrict access to imagery of certain "sensitive areas".

(click the image to enlarge)

Tappan Zee Bridge: Spanning the Hudson River at its widest point, an expanse of tidewater known as Tappan Zee, the bridge connects South Nyack on the west shore with Tarrytown on the east. This view shows the cantilevered span near the eastern shore, which allows large vessels to pass underneath (as seen in the photo). The lower causeway sections on either side of the main span curve gracefully at each shore, not only permitting unobtusive approaches through the congested shore towns and rugged topography, but also affording fine views of the bridge itself for motorists traversing it.

A full-size image (286 KB) is also available.

Orientation: Across the bridge from Exit 9, the New York State Thruway (I-87) runs bottom to top through South Nyack. US 9W enters at bottom on Hillside Avenue. It divides, with the northbound roadway swinging across the Thruway and back, while southbound traffic runs tight along the mountain's base. Just east of US 9W, South Broadway runs top to bottom, crossing over the Thruway at bottom right. South Franklin Street runs north from the interchange at top center.

Exit numbers: Exit 10 is a northbound/westbound-only exit for US 9W to Nyack, South Nyack and Piermont.

The interchange: Thruway Exit 10 is a unique helical configuration that allows a number of ramps to be contained in a small area. The northbound exit ramp runs along the inside of the helix, looping around the Thruway to join southbound US 9W at the southern split. A tight U-turn at this point allows access to US 9W northbound as well. A ramp from South Broadway runs into the middle roadway of the helix, joining another ramp from US 9W northbound. This swings around and becomes a southbound entrance to the Tappan Zee Bridge. A northbound entrance ramp also splits from US 9W; this entrance is not available from South Broadway. The outer layer of the helix is US 9W northbound itself, which connects at its apex with South Franklin Street, serving local traffic to the Village of Nyack.