After months of negotiations with the Cuomo administration, three Hudson Valley county executives say they will now support a plan to rebuild the Tappan Zee Bridge.

The three county executives said the agreement means mass transit will not be an afterthought in the building of the new bridge.The sticking point had been the issue of mass transit. While Gov. Andrew Cuomo's initial plan only called for the new bridge to be "non-preclusive" of mass transit, the new agreement includes several mass transit enhancements. 

For starters, the new bridge will include dedicated bus lanes right from the start. Secondly, the bridge will be constructed so as to allow for a bus rapid transit system and commuter rail link in the future. A Regional Transit Task Force will also be created to study costs and options going forward. It will issue recommendations in a year for short- and long-term proposals. 

Tri-State Transportation Campaign, one of NYLCV's partners, welcomed the commitment to dedicated bus lanes, but also warned that little progress would be made in meeting the long-term mobility needs of the I-287 corridor without additional measures for bus rapid transit in the future.

Thursday's announcement means that Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino, Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell will all cast votes in favor of the bridge plan at the next meeting of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. A unanimous vote by that council will unlock the federal funds needed to fast-track the construction of a new Tappan Zee Bridge.