President Barack Obama granted Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s request to speed up the licensing and permitting process in order to begin building a new Tappan Zee Bridge.

The request, made by the governor on Monday, asked the federal government to expedite certain requirements for the project, which includes an Environmental Impact Statement.

“I want to thank President Obama, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, including the Federal Highway Administration, for selecting the Tappan Zee Bridge project and recognizing that moving forward with the project is key to New York’s economic future,” Cuomo said in a statement. “This is a shot in the arm for the project and a major step forward to restoring this key piece of our infrastructure and putting tens of thousands of New Yorkers back to work.”

The governor’s office said that the project can begin as early as next year.

The bridge, which crosses the Hudson River at Westchester and Rockland counties, has started to show signs of aging in the last decade.

Opened in the 1950s, it was never built to withstand the 160,000-odd cars that cross it on weekend days. There are also real fears that a sudden closure of the bridge would bring the state’s economy to a standstill.

A new bridge project could cost as much as $16 billion and where the state and federal government will find the money for it is unclear. Obama continues to push his new jobs bill, which includes billions of dollars for infrastructure repairs.

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