Building Congress Event
Building Congress Construction Industry Breakfast Forum
New York's Transportation Commissioners Discuss Priorities at NYBC Forum
New York State Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald and New York City Transportation Commissioner Polly D. Trottenberg made a joint appearance at a June 17 New York Building Congress Construction Industry Forum.
Rather than making formal presentations, the Commissioners took turns responding to questions about transportation funding, priorities, and policy from Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson, New York Times transportation reporter Matt Flegenheimer, and some of the more than 300 industry leaders who attended the Forum at the New York Hilton Midtown.
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Both Commissioners agreed that it is vital that the New York State Legislature renew design-build legislation for transportation projects. The program, which helped reduce the anticipated cost of replacing the Tappan Zee by $1 billion, allows government agencies to award a single contract for the design and construction of major projects.
“If we don’t pass it, it will be a huge setback for the State,” said Commissioner McDonald. She noted that New York State has a number of projects in the pipeline for 2015, but if design-build is not renewed, “we won’t be putting people to work until 2016-2017.”
“Getting that authority is essential,” added Commissioner Trottenberg, who noted that 46 states in the country have enacted design-build laws. She cited the triple cantilever portion of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, along the Brooklyn waterfront, as an example of a major project that would benefit from the legislation.
The Commissioners also said they support the completion of Amtrak’s Gateway Tunnel project and agreed that the region needs a strong and fully-functioning Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
“Clearly in this region, there is a role for a strong bi-state agency that has deep expertise and deep ability to handle major capital projects,” said Commissioner Trottenberg. “We are all hoping when we get to the end of this turmoil, that is what we’ll have.”
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