State Sen. Tom Morahan says it’s about time Hudson Valley and Long Island residents were represented on the Board of Commissioners for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Morahan, R-New City, introduced a bill this week that would assign the two non-designated seats on the board to a resident of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, or Westchester, and one from Nassau or Suffolk counties.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who represents part of Long Island, is a co-sponsor of the bill.

The Port Authority board has 12 commissioners, six from New Jersey and six from New York — at least four of whom are residents of New York City, Morahan said.

“Port Authority facilities have a dramatic impact on the growth, economy, environment and quality of life of the surrounding region, not just New York City,” Morahan said in a press release. “Stewart International Airport in Orange County was recently taken over by the Port Authority and the growth of this facility will contribute to the economic vitality of the Hudson Valley. It is thereforecritical that a resident from the Hudson Valley have input in the decision-making process of this authority.”

The state legislatures of New York would first have to pass the bill, before seeking the approval of New Jersey lawmakers.

UPDATE: U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer’s office noted that in April, Schumer called for the establishment of a Hudson Valley seat on the Port Authority Board of Commissioners and two months later, wrote to Governors Paterson and Corzine and legislative leaders in both states urging them to support a change to the Port Authority Compact to do just that.

“Given the growing importance of Stewart Airport, adding a designated Hudson Valley seat to the Port Authority Board is an idea whose time has come. I have already urged Governors Paterson and Corzine to support this and will now urge Speaker Silver and Majority Leader Skelos to pass legislation to get this done,” Schumer,  D-NY, said in a statement.

In case you missed this in the paper or on the Web site. Let me know how your ride went.

Metal plates on TZ Bridge part of deck-revamp project

Drivers who use the Tappan Zee Bridge may experience a bit of unwelcome deja vu when they cross the 3-mile bridge tomorrow.

Metal plates have been installed in the right Westchester-bound lanes on the deck truss span as part of the ongoing deck replacement project. The plates will be thicker than those used during the summer, which caused untold aggravation and long delays as drivers slowed and changed lanes to avoid driving over the plates and their big, protruding bolts.

But fear not, says the state Thruway Authority, which owns and runs the 52-year-old bridge. Read more of this entry »

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, which directs transportation planning for the Lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island, this week will hold planning workshops in our area.

NYMTC is beginning work on its 2010-2035 Regional Transportation Plan and is looking for public input to help it improve the region’s transportation system — roads, bridges, freight and mass-transit facilities, and bicycle and pedestrian networks — and to figure out ways to pay for the upgrades.

Here’s the schedule:

• Putnam: 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Sept. 22 at the county government complex in Carmel.

• Rockland: 3-5 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack in the fourth floor community room.

• Westchester: 3-5 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

Comments, ideas and suggestions also can be made through Oct. 31 at NYMTC’s Web site.

A resurfacing project on the Thruway near the Woodbury toll barrier at Exit 16 will require single and double overnight lane closures in both the northbound and southbound directions beginning 9:30 p.m., Monday, the state Thruway Authority said.

The closures will be in place from seven miles north of the toll to 1.5 miles south of the toll barrier.

From Monday through Wednesday, double northbound lane closures will be in place on from 9:30 p.m. until 8 a.m., with the closure being reduced to a single lane from 8 a.m. until 9 a.m.

On Thursday, Monday, Sept. 29, and Tuesday, Sept. 30, double southbound lane closures will be in place from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m., with the closure being reduced to a single lane from 5 a.m. until 6 a.m.

All schedules are weather permitting.

Traffic on the Thruway near the Exit 16 Woodbury toll barrier will be stopped in both directions this week to remove overhead signs.

The work is being done as part of a project to build highway speed E-ZPass toll lanes.

The overhead signs scheduled to be removed are located on the northbound Thruway, at mileposts 44.3 and 44.8, just south of the toll barrier and on the southbound Thruway at milepost 45.3, just north of the tolls.

Traffic stoppages are scheduled to occur after 11 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, weather permitting.

They are expected to last no longer than 10 minutes each, as the sign panels, support trusses, and posts are removed, the state Thruway Authority said.

NJ Transit’s Pascack Valley line trains will operate on a special schedule tomorrow due to signal work between Emerson and Westwood stations in New Jersey.

The 6:07 a.m. train from Spring Valley will not run. Customers should use the 7:10 a.m. train departing from Spring Valley. The 8:04 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. trains will depart Spring Valley four minutes earlier and make all stops to Westwood earlier.

All trains departing Hoboken or Spring Valley after 12 noon will operate normally.

Riders are asked to allow for extra travel time.

Bus riders in Rockland should be aware of two schedule changes next week.

On Sunday, , Transport of Rockland (TOR) and Coach USA’s Rockland Coaches buses in Haverstraw village will detour around the Haverstraw International Street Fair and the Ferry-Go-Round. Riders should meet their buses at the corner of New Main Street and Hudson Avenue or on Gurnee Avenue. Bus service will return to normal when the street fair is over, the county’s Department of Public Transportation said.

And starting Monday, the bus stop for the Tappan ZEExpress and Coach USA buses in Nyack will move two blocks south, from the corner of South Broadway and Depew Avenue to the corner of South Broadway and Cedar Hill Avenue. As a result, the buses will avoid traveling on Depew Avenue, which hosts a day care center and senior citizen center.

 The fifth annual Ferry-Go-Round, which links four Hudson River towns to the river, takes places from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

NY Waterway ferries will carry passengers between Haverstraw, Peekskill, Ossining and Sleepy Hollow, which are hosting special events such as concerts, street fairs, arts shows and food festivals.

The ferries, which each hold about 150 people, will be available every 40 to 60 minutes to shuttle riders between destinations.

All-day passes are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors. Children 17 or younger can ride free when accompanied by an adult.

For more information, call 914-747-3600 Ext. 4500, or visit www.ferrygoround.com.

Whether you’re tracking your daily commute or just going out for a drive, you can get up to the minute traffic information on lohud.com’s Traffic Center.

On the site, you can map routes, find the latest traffic snarls and even sign up to have traffic alerts e-mailed to you.