Push Grows to Bring Back the Tappan Zee Bridge Name

By Y.M. Lowy

A new push is underway to undo Andrew Cuomo’s controversial decision to rename the Tappan Zee Bridge after his late father. 

The bridge, which stretches more than a thousand feet across the Hudson River between Rockland and Westchester, carried the name Tappan Zee for almost sixty years. The name honored both the Indigenous Tappan people who lived in the area and the Dutch settlers who came later. Zee means sea in Dutch. Many New Yorkers felt connected to that history, and they weren’t happy when Cuomo changed the name in 2017.

A new petition launched on November 23 argues that the renaming erased a meaningful part of the region’s past. It says the decision broke long-standing naming traditions and was pushed through at a moment when Cuomo held enormous political power. Back in 2017, more than one hundred thousand people had already signed a petition to keep the original name. Now, years later, the frustration hasn’t faded. The petition says New Yorkers have made it clear they want the Tappan Zee name back.

So far, more than a thousand people have signed the new effort, which calls on state lawmakers to propose a bill restoring the old name. If it passes, Governor Hochul would have to approve it. Supporters say it would cost almost nothing and would simply reflect the will of the people who use the bridge every day. They also stress that this is not about politics, but about preserving a shared identity and correcting a change many residents never wanted.

Even though the official name is still the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, most locals continue calling it the Tappan Zee anyway. 

photo: Shutterstock