Bridges, Railroads Face Spending Shortfall

NEW YORK CITY-The opening sentence of Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch’s report on transportation infrastructure, released this past Thursday, spells out the problem in stark terms: “New York State currently lacks the revenues necessary to maintain its transportation system in a state of good repair, and the state has no credible strategy for meeting future needs.” Developing that strategy will entail the state mapping out what Ravitch calls “a long-term blueprint that explains how it will meet its transportation needs. Otherwise, the state risks losing its ability to deliver projects that are essential for preserving safety, improving quality of life and maintaining economic competitiveness.”

It’s an argument with which Richard T. Anderson, president of the New York Building Congress, wholeheartedly concurs. “Lieutenant Governor Ravitch has produced a report that expertly lays out the challenges and choices we must confront regarding New York’s vast network of roads, bridges and mass transit,” Anderson says in a statement. “His report can serve as a blueprint for the Cuomo administration and the State Legislature, which will need to quickly develop a set of priorities and financing options to reverse the recent declines in the condition of our highways, physically maintain the existing transit system, and continue with such major projects as the Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access.”