POLITICS
Whatever
Works
New York’s 10-year capital plan has something for almost everyone By Aaron Short
up with the economic growth strategies ofeach region across the state. Last month the task force released its report detailing recommendations for maintaining transportation, power and development authorities, and investing in new projects. Cuomo seemed pleased with the report. “Today, the task force has released a visionary road map on how we will leverage state resources to improve infrastructure in all corners of New York, save
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money for taxpayers, and compete in the global economy,” he said in a statement. “This is a plan that will put New Yorkers to work and accelerate economic development over the next decade.” Planning experts often tout that infrastructure investments are among the smartest a state can make. Building and upgrading roads, bridges and power lines creates jobs and prevents more expensive refurbishments in the future—and public works investments
yield a nearly two-to-one return, some experts say. If the state does not end up having to bail out financially unstable municipalities or suffer from a dwindling pool of tax revenue, it could have more than $174 billion to play with for capital projects, according to state budget forecasts. With this figure in mind, the NY Works Task Force and the State Division of the Budget made three key recommendations in its report: continue with its Regional
f you’ve ever commuted to work, turned on a light switch or flushed a toilet, you know how important infrastructure is to your daily life. New York’s building blocks—its roads, bridges and rails, electrical wires, water mains and sewer lines—move some 19.5 million residents and many other commuters and visitors, connecting, protecting and sustaining them. Some of the nation’s largest public works projects, including the Erie Canal, the New York State Thruway and Battery Park City have been created by, and generated a massive return on, government investment. But if the state expects to add new jobs, homes and offices over the next decade, it must continue to expand and maintain its decaying infrastructure. In the past, state agencies independently submitted their funding requests for multiyear capital projects and piein-the-sky programs. Gov. Andrew Cuomo convened the New York Works Task Force last year to come up with a way to coordinate capital investments—about $174 billion worth from 47 state agencies and authorities—and match them The crown jewel of the state’s long-term transportation plan is replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge
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JUNE 17, 2013 | www.cityandstateny.com
CITY&STATE