For the third time in less than a week, a large metal plate came loose on the Tappan Zee Bridge Tuesday in the middle of the morning rush hour, damaging the wheels of five cars and causing traffic delays.

?I hold my breath every time I have to cross that bridge,? says motorist Eric Ruben, of Suffern.

The regional director of the Thruway Authority, which commissioned the re-decking of the Tappan Zee Bridge, says the construction company in charge of the project will try to use new, thicker plates that are less likely to fall. The company is being fined $12,000 a day for traffic backups.

Ramesh Mehta, director of the Thruway Authority, says he sincerely apologizes to the public for what they've been through the past two weeks in regard to the bridge situation. He adds the fines are a reminder to the company that backups will not be not be tolerated.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Astrid Glynn also says she feels for commuters, but adds that they shouldn't worry.

?The Tappan Zee is safe,? she says. ?The Thruway Authority is taking good care of it, but it is an increasingly high maintenance bridge, as everyone in the area can attest to.?