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Pre-Construction Work Begins Monday For New Tappan Zee Bridge

SOUTH NYACK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Pre-construction work is starting at the site of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

Six barges and tugboats carrying construction equipment are slated to arrive Monday.

Darrell Waters, the president of Tappan Zee Constructors, said last week the barges will be among 50 to 60 that will arrive in coming months. At the peak of construction there will be 100 barges.

Pre-Construction Work Begins Monday For New Tappan Zee Bridge

Tappan Zee Constructors will use small drilling rigs to test soil conditions in and near the Hudson River. The tests will help designers determine what size piers and supporting foundations are needed for the new bridge.

There will also be limited boring on both sides of the river in Westchester and Rockland counties between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Officials say noise from the boring machines will be minimal.

The work is expected to take about eight weeks.

By August, Waters said, crews will begin dredging 900,000 cubic yards of sediment from the river. And by fall, one of the world's largest floating cranes will arrive.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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