Democratic Senator from New York, James Skoufis, is sponsoring a bill to remove the late Governor Mario M. Cuomo’s name from the Hudson Valley bridge, connecting Rockland and Westchester counties, which was completed in 2018.
The bridge was previously called the Tappan Zee Bridge, named after the Indian tribe and the Dutch word for sea that the crossing was named after in the 17th century by Dutch settlers. Skoufis hopes to pass the bill before the legislative session ends in June, and it is more likely to pass this year with prominent Senate Democrats and Republicans backing the cause.
In 2017, former Governor Andrew Cuomo greenlit the “Mario” moniker in a late-night legislative backroom deal, as the bridge’s finishing touches were put on the nearly $4 billion structure.
In exchange for the tribute to his late father, Republican politicians received greater retirement benefits for uniformed first responders injured on the job, a tax break for lower Manhattan real estate, a three-year extension of county sales taxes for both upstate and New York City, up to $50 million in flood assistance for Lake Ontario, and a loosening of land restrictions in part of Adirondack Park.
The name change has received criticism from many New Yorkers, with many feeling that the renaming of the bridge after a politician without public input was not appropriate.
The bill still faces uncertainty in the Assembly after Transportation Committee Chairman William Magnarelli blocked the proposal from getting a floor vote last year. However, those connected to Rockland say that “Mario M. Cuomo” has no chance of ever becoming the preferred name of the bridge, with some locals feeling that it should always be called the Tappan Zee Bridge.