Another push is being made to return the name Tappan Zee to the bridge that crosses the Hudson River. 

And this time, the effort is backed by a Democratic lawmaker in the region. 

Assemblyman Tom Abinanti has introduced a proposal that would revert the name of the new bridge back to Tappan Zee, a reference to the Native Americans who lived in the Hudson Valley region as well as the Dutch settlers in the area, and keep the name Mario Cuomo alongside it.  

A landing bridge at a welcome center on the Westchester County side of the bridge, meanwhile, would be named in honor of Malcolm Wilson, a Republican who succeeded Nelson Rockefeller in office and had the earlier bridge named after him. 

“Tappan Zee symbolizes the history and heritage of the area,” Abinanti said.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo had pushed for the replacement project connecting Westchester and Rockland counties as the ultimate symbol of cutting through the bureaucratic morass to accomplish major projects.

The bridge was ultimately opened in 2018. Lawmakers subsequently approved a bill that named the new bridge after the governor's father. 

But the bridge naming stirred controversy from the outset, with Republicans in the Hudson Valley as well as residents there backing efforts to change the name to the original Tappan Zee.

A Democratic lawmaker backing the effort could aid the bill's passage in Albany given the party's majority control in the state Senate and state Assembly.

Andrew Cuomo resigned Aug. 24 amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. 

“It’s time that we all came together and reached a compromise,” Abinanti said. “Let’s stop the war over the name, it’s time to heal.”