The Obama administration announced this week that the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement would be fast-tracked through the federal approvals process.

Can the roadway even be fast-tracked without mass transit, since the latter was integral to the existing environmental reviews?But the bad news: The mass-transit portion of the rebuild may not get fast-tracked as well, raising concerns that it will never get built. 

The bridge overhaul was among 13 projects nationwide that President Obama singled out to foster additional job creation. The Federal Highway Administration estimates the bridge's environmental review and permitting process could be accomplished within a year, allowing the state to advertise for bids as soon as August 2012.

Yet the deal is solely focused on the roadway portion of the bridge and individuals involved in the transaction say only that the mass-transit aspect of the bridge may get built at a later date.

History books underscore how this delay strategy may ultimately undermine mass transit: The George Washington Bridge -- which connects New Jersey with New York City -- was supposed to handle transit service but due to considerable pressure to replace the bridge, the project was "tiered" and the road portion went ahead first. Obviously, the transit was never completed.

As StreetsBlog notes, the fast-tracking has raised many eyebrows in the local, transportation and environmental communities, including at NYLCV.

According to NYLCV's Dan Hendrick: "Commuters and local residents have been calling for mass transit to be added to the bridge for decades, and bus rapid transit represents exactly the kind of smart, sustainable infrastructure investments that will help New York’s environment and economy. We strongly encourage the Obama and Cuomo administrations to sharpen their pencils and ensure that bus rapid transit keeps pace with the roadway replacement on the new Tappan Zee Bridge.”