State officials have kept mum this summer on the future plans for the Tappan Zee Bridge, but they have hired Merrill Lynch, a leading financial advisory company, to try to figure out how to pay for the multi-billion dollar project.

Merrill Lynch will look at all financing strategies, including raising tolls, bonding and leasing the bridge to private investors who put money upfront in exchange for collecting toll revenue over the years. Known as public-private partnerships, it has been used by other cash-strapped governments to pay for road improvements.

“They will advise the department and its partner agencies of the pros and cons about its various options for financing the project,” DOT spokeswoman Jennifer Post said of Merrill Lynch.

The state is negotiating a five-year contract with the investment bank. The state comptroller’s office must provide final approval.

In May, the team in charge of the Tappan Zee Bridge/Interstate 287 project had been expected to say whether it favored replacing the 52-year-old bridge or rebuilding it, and what type of mass transit would run the 30-mile I-287 corridor from Suffern to Port Chester.

The state DOT says that announcement is expected soon.Project costs could range from $3- to $14-billion, however those figures are now several years old.

Read the full story tomorrow in my Getting There column or on LoHud.com.

Been a bit busy today, but NJ Transit said today it will buy 50 more multilevel cars for $76 million.

The cars, which are already used on several lines, will boost capacity and literally give riders more legroom.

Anyway, the full press release is below.

The state Thruway Authority will be doing blasting near Exit 17 on the Thruway as part of its project to connect the highway with Interstate 84.

Periodic traffic stoppages on I-84 and I-87 will occur between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on I-84 at Exit 7 (Union Ave., Rte. 300), on I-87 at Exit 17 (Newburgh, Stewart International Airport)  and on Stewart Ave., a local road.

Each stoppage shouldn’t last more than 10 minutes.

Blasting activity and traffic stoppages will continue to take place from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday until October, weather permitting. The project is expected to be completed in November 2009.

Rockland rail commuters who travel the Main/Bergen line may be in for a rough ride home today.

A Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in Waldwick, N.J., shortly before 2 p.m. today and is blocking two of three available tracks on the line, a New Jersey Transit spokeswoman said. The Main/Bergen line turns into the Port Jervis line just past Suffern.

“Crews are on scene working to clear the derailed cars as quickly as possible. However, the incident is expected to impact the evening peak period,” a statement on the agency’s Web site reads.

Customers are being told to expect delays of 30 to 60 minutes on trains traveling through the Waldwick area. Because some outbound trains from Hoboken may be combined to relieve congestion, there may be overcrowding.

Tickets are also being cross-honored on NJ Transit buses as well as private carrier buses.

NJ Transit said buses will substitute for trains in the inbound direction only between Allendale and Waldwick stations. Customers will travel by train from Suffern to Allendale, N.J., by bus from Allendale to Waldwick, then by train from Waldwick to Secaucus Junction, and onto Hoboken.

Metro-North Railroad, which contracts with NJ Transit to provide passenger rail service west of Hudson in New York, said the inbound 3:23 p.m. train from Middletown, due Hoboken at 5:11p.m. will continue to operate as a train.

For the updates and information, visit www.njtransit.com.

If you ride Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line, state Assemblyman George Latimer, D-Rye, wants to hear what you think of the service.

He’s distributing his annual survey at local stations.

With the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is proposing two — count ‘em, two — fare hikes Read more of this entry »

If you’re driving Interstate 287 in mid-morning or mid-afternoon this week, you may find yourself stopped for about 20 minutes while workers blast rock with explosives.

The blasts are scheduled to go off at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each day through Thursday. Workers setting off the explosives use Read more of this entry »

Here’s a big bird.

Emirates airlines is beginning to fly from Dubai to New York, and it’s starting big. The airline will fly its new Airbus A380, the largest airplane in the world, to John F. Kennedy International Airport this afternoon.

Just three days ago, the airline received the 525-seat, two-deck Read more of this entry »

Imagine crossing the Henry Hudson or Throgs Neck bridge without slowing down to slip through one of the slots in the toll plaza.That’s what the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has in mind.

You can tell the idea will take some time to put in place, because the MTA’s approach Read more of this entry »

My co-worker, David Schepp, told me about this article in the New York Times over the weekend.

It gives Rockland residents one more reason to buy their gas in Jersey.

Someone out there is miffed about noise from Westchester County Airport.

The airport recorded 744 noise complaints during June, and 256 of them — more than a third — were e-mailed by one person, Read more of this entry »

Through June, about 2,300 airplanes took of from or landed at Westchester County Airport during the time that the county asks airlines and others to refrain from flying.

That was down from more than 2,500 flights that took off during the supposed quiet hours — from midnight to 6:30 a.m. — during Read more of this entry »

We’ve heard a lot about troubles the airlines are having; fuel costs pushing up ticket prices, flights being canceled for good, travelers using trains or opting for road trips.

At Westchester County Airport, the trend seems to be more passengers, fewer airplanes. Take a look at Read more of this entry »

The latest edition of Mileposts, the Metro-North Railroad newsletter for its customers, brings this etiquette tip: Keep your shoes on, and, the really important part — “keep your feet off the seats when traveling on our trains.”

There are some things you’d hope people wouldn’t have to be told. But I remember Read more of this entry »

For those keeping score, Metro-North Railroad trains were on time 98.2 percent of the time in May, the latest month for which the railroad announced figures.

On time, however, doesn’t mean on the dot. The railroad considers a train on time if Read more of this entry »

A culvert replacement project will close South Mountain Road in New City from Hemlock Trail and Tioga Court starting tomorrow.

A detour will be put in place, and barricades will be installed across the two-lane road.

Work on the project, which is in the vicinity of 569 South Mountain Road, will begin Monday.

That part of South Mountain Road will likely remain closed until Aug. 25.

Questions should be directed to the Clarkstown Department of Environmental Control at 845-639-2111.