A newly tapped state panel will look at ways to implement mass transit on a replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge.

The state Thruway Authority today unveiled a 28-member task force that will have one year to come up with recommendations on how to implement and fun public transit options on the lower Hudson Valley span. The authority on Dec. 17 will select a team of contractors to begin work ^[1] on the multi-billion-dollar bridge connecting Westchester and Rockland counties.

“The first step is replacing the Tappan Zee, which has no transit capacity, with a new bridge that is ready to handle mass transit right away as a foundation,” Howard Milstein, the Thruway chairman, said in a statement. “At the same time that we are building this new bridge, the mass transit task force will be working on finding the best transit options for local communities.”

The panel reads like a who’s-who of elected officials in the lower Hudson Valley, including Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, White Plains Mayor Tom Roach as well as other local officials and state lawmakers. Also included are some of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top transportation officials, including Thruway Authority Executive Director Tom Madison and Transportation Commission Joan McDonald.

Mass transit has been a sticking point for some on the bridge. Officials such as Astorino have questioned the state’s decision to move ahead without incorporating a light rail or other mass transit as the bridge is initially built. Cuomo has countered that each of the potential bridge designs would allow for mass transit to be incorporated at a later date, and have pointed to cost concerns about adding it right away.

“Any discussion of mass transit on the new bridge must consider the needs of county residents, and I am glad to participate on the panel and continue to ensure that our voices are heard,” Vanderhoef said in a statement.

The full list of task force members is after the jump.more->

• Rob Astorino, Westchester County Executive


• Scott Baird, Nyack Chamber of Commerce


• David Carlucci, Member, New York State Senate


• Peter Casper, New York State Thruway Authority


• Harriet Cornell, Chairwoman, Rockland County Legislature


• Jan Degenshein, architect and planner, former Chairman, Rockland Business Association


• Jonathan Drapkin, Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress


• Tish Dubow, Mayor, Village of South Nyack


• Kristine Edwards, New York State Department of Transportation


• Drew Fixell, Mayor, Village of Tarrytown


• Marsha Gordon, Business Council of Westchester County


• Ellen Jaffee, Member, New York State Assembly


• Thomas Madison, Executive Director, New York State Thruway Authority


• Joan McDonald, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation


• John Nonna, Board Member, Westchester League of Conservation Voters


• Larry Salley, former Westchester County Transportation Commissioner


• Veronica Vanterpool, TriState Transportation Campaign


• Amy Paulin, Member, New York State Assembly


• Karen Rae, Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Transportation


• Tom Roach, Mayor, City of White Plains


• Mark Roche, ARUP Engineering


• Christopher St. Lawrence, Supervisor Town of Ramapo


• Brandon Sall, Board Member, New York State Thruway Authority


• Mary Jane Shimsky, Member, Westchester Board of Legislators


• Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Member, New York State Senate


• C. Scott Vanderhoef, Rockland County Executive


• Jen White, Mayor, Village of Nyack


• Robert Yaro, President, Regional Plan Association