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The far right lane on the southbound (Westchester-bound side) had remained closed since the collapse before reopening at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
In order to minimize impacts to motorists during peak travel periods, expedited repairs were performed around the clock with roadway repairs conducted overnight Thursday into Saturday.
The typical lane configuration will now resume with four lanes open in the peak direction and three lanes open in the non-peak direction. Motorists are encouraged to keep their eyes on the road at all times and avoid rubbernecking.
The crane collapse at around noon Tuesday, but remarkably did not hit any vehicles. It did result in several minor injuries and led to the closure of all lanes through the evening rush hour.
"The Tappan Zee Bridge is a vital part of the state and region's transportation network and crews have been working around the clock to fix the damage from Tuesday's crane collapse," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "Hundreds of thousands of commuters rely on the bridge each day, so our priority has been expediting the repairs and getting back to full capacity. I am grateful to all of the men and women who have worked tirelessly all week to get the job done."
The crane that collapsed, a Manitowac Cranes model MLC 300 or a lattice boom crawling crane, was used to drive piles into the riverbed of the Hudson River for the construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. .The rapid response by a multi-agency effort, including the State Police and Thruway Authority allowed the structural safety of the bridge to be confirmed by expert bridge inspectors within just hours of the collapse.
More than 140,000 motorists use the TZB on average each day.
The investigation into the cause of the crane collapse is ongoing.
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