Residents and community leaders who spoke at a hearing this week on the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement plan offered support but also some reservations about its adequacy to serve vehicular traffic and mass transit needs, according to the Journal News.

The new Tappan Zee Bridge is scheduled to open in 2017.Representatives from the state Department of Transportation, the New York State Thruway Authority and Metro-North Railroad comprised the team that evaluated several options and chose the $16 billion proposal. Their plan includes dedicated lanes for express buses and track bed for a commuter rail line from Suffern, connecting with the Hudson Line below Tarrytown for the ride to Grand Central Terminal.

The most expensive option, projected to cost $22 billion, would have run a commuter railroad through the Interstate 287 corridor, connecting with the Metro-North New Haven Line to Connecticut.

Some residents criticized the proposal as "already obsolete" because it calls for four automotive vehicle lanes in each direction. Other criticisms included concerns that the rail service, which the plan would phase in after the new bridge is complete in 2017, will, in fact, never get built. The choice of bus rather than rail service between Suffern and Port Chester, a 30-mile stretch, also drew criticism.

"They're ignoring the whole regional aspect," Carolyn Cunningham, a board member of Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, said.

Information about the project is at www.tzbsite.com.