President Obama was in Westchester County Wednesday, with the Tappan Zee Bridge behind him. He was there to call for investment in infrastructure and announce a plan to put a number of projects on a faster track.
President Obama delivered his speech in Tarrytown. He pointed to current work on the replacement bridge for the Tappan Zee as an example of how an expedited review and permitting process can result in starting construction sooner, creating jobs earlier, and replacing a crumbling bridge faster. He praised New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and four Democratic Hudson Valley congressional representatives in attendance for making it possible.
“Thanks to their outstanding efforts, workers are building a replacement – the first new bridge in New York in 50 years,” Obama said. “It’s called the New New York Bridge, which is fine as a name, but for your next bridge you should come up with something a little more fresh.”
He says he wants to see this expedited process applied to other major infrastructure projects across the country.
