ALBANY – Legislation that would have modified the name of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge” to include the words “Tappan Zee” has died in the state legislature.
Opponents of the change to the Cuomo bridge, the structure that spans the Hudson River between Westchester and Rockland, felt it was a slap in the face to the Native American heritage that called that area of the Hudson River the Tappan Zee.
During this session, the Senate approved the measure sponsored by James Skoufis (D, Cornwall), but never made it to the docket in the Assembly. Both houses have adjourned for the remainder of the year.
The name change in honor of the former governor was successfully pushed by his son, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over a year ago.
The effort to change the name back was unsuccessfully attempted once before. This time, Skoufis’ plan was to give the bridge a hybrid name of the Cuomo Tappan Zee Bridge, but that died when the Assembly refused to take it up.
