NY Transportation Projects Require US-Made Iron and Steel

Seventy-five thousand tons of steel went into the original construction of the Queensboro Bridge and its approaches.

NEW YORK CITY—New York’s “Buy American” legislation will require American-made steel and iron products in the construction of all MTA and state transportation agencies’ road and bridge projects that cost over $1 million.

Private companies bid for work on such projects, including for example, the replacement of the upper roadways of the Queensboro Bridge. However, the bid due date for this project is Jan. 12, 2018. The legislation comes into effect on April 1, 2018 and will only apply to contracts signed after that date.

The “Buy American” Act which Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law on Friday had passed the legislature in June 2017. Originally, the bill was stricter, calling for the US-made requirement for projects exceeding $100,000.

Gov. Cuomo says the law will “support hardworking men and women, revitalize infrastructure across the state, bolster the strength of our manufacturing industries and cement our status as a global economic leader.”