Business, labor, politicians unite behind $5B push for NY roads, bridges
http://icrapoport.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=http://icrapoport.com/do-you-believe-in-baschert-beloved-destiny/ Business, labor, politicians unite behind $5B push for NY roads, bridges
Dec 15, 2014, 1:59pm EST Updated: Dec 15, 2014, 3:45pm EST
Michael DeMasi, Reporter- Albany Business Review
published here Rebuild New York Now continued its push today for the state to increase spending on roads and bridges with a new TV and radio commercial and a bipartisan group of politicians appearing on the steps of City Hall in Albany.
The coalition, which includes road and bridge contractors, organized labor and state and local elected officials, is in the midst of a $1.7 million media campaign to raise awareness and pressure Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature to spend more on the state’s crumbling infrastructure.
The group wants the state to use some of the $5 billion in legal settlements that New York received from financial institutions to address deferred maintenance and other problems that have grown worse over the years.
More broadly, they are targeting the proposed 2015-16 budget that Cuomo will release in mid-January and the Legislature must adopt by April 1.
“We have billions and billions of needs every year for our infrastructure system,” said Mike Elmendorf, president and CEO of Rebuild New York Now and Associated General Contractors of New York, a trade group. “We’ve been under-investing.
Elmendorf pointed to a report by the state comptroller estimating the funding needs for local roads and bridges totals $34.8 billion over 15 years; water infrastructure needs a total of $10.7 billion over 20 years; and sewer infrastructure needs a total of $20.2 billion over 20 years.
The state and local governments spend far less. For instance, capital spending on roads and bridges by local governments in 2012 totaled $927.2 million, compared with the estimated $2.3 billion need.
Among the group of elected officials advocating more state spending on infrastructure were Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy and state Senator-elect George Amedore.
Clifton Park Highway Superintendent Rick Kukuk, a member of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, said local governments are responsible for more than 97,000 center-line miles of roads and 8,600 bridges.
The total funding gap over the next 15 years, based on the comptroller’s estimates, is $19.8 billion, or about $1.3 billion per year, Kukuk said.
“Additional investment is vital to maintain our local transportation system,” he said.
To view Rebuild NY Now’s second ad click here.
