The advantage of a community planning process is that it can get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes, ideas pop up that seem fantastical, yet carry a powerful logic.  Trish Dubow, South Nyack’s mayor, had one such bold idea while contemplating the proposed changes to the Tappan Zee Bridge corridor—building a “lid park” over I-287, and reconnecting a village that was split in half over 50 years ago. The community is now embracing her idea, but the challenge will be to make fantasy a reality.

The Village of South Nyack, in Rockland County, has a lovely setting on the western shore of the Hudson River, with gorgeous old houses and a sloping hill that affords spectacular views of the river. Unfortunately, in order to accommodate an explosion of car travel in the mid-50s, the local ferry was replaced by the Tappan Zee Bridge, which cut through established communities on both sides of the river.

In South Nyack, 37 acres were taken, and 100 houses, two churches, the village hall, and the prime commercial area were razed. The remaining residential areas were split, and the center became a constant stream of automobiles. Standing on Esposito Trail (part of the Hudson Valley Greenway) and looking over the current expanse of highway, exits, and overpasses, the Mayor—who still refers to the land taken as “our land”—told MTR that “the effect on the community was violent.”

Mayor Dubow explained that a lid park, similar to the one on Mercer Island in Washington, would not only reconnect the village but could include non-motorized trail linkages to the transit stations proposed in nearby Nyack as part of the I-287 corridor project. There would be commercial and development opportunities, as well as recreational. In an area that already attracts cyclists and hikers accessing the Long Path and Bear Mountain, the lid park could be a regional destination, connecting transit riders to the great outdoors. And the park would literally put a lid over some of the noise, air pollution, and vibration that can be felt from river to ridge.

The Village has been active in the planning workshops for the bridge and may incorporate the park into its own Comprehensive Plan (the village is now reviewing the plan, which was last updated in 1969). Responses to a recent community survey and public meeting revealed that the lid park idea is taking hold, Mayor Dubow said. A local artist, Paul Tappenden, has done an artist’s rendering that hangs prominently in Village Hall; the next step forward will be finding the funds to pay for preliminary engineering. At a time when funding isn’t even secured for the corridor project, Mayor Dubow openly admits that the concept is still in “hyperspace.” But she points to similarly audacious projects like the High Line in New York City as proof that community dedication can see a big idea through to the end.