MTR 256, Highway Lobby's Albany Offensive - Aim for the Moon: Want Road Spending Doubled -

Issue 256

February 11, 2000

Highway Lobby's Albany Offensive - Aim for the Moon: Want Road Spending Doubled -

At a joint Assembly/Senate hearing on the transportation elements of Governor Pataki's executive budget Tuesday, highway construction industry representatives

attacked the Governor's proposed $14.3 billion 2000-2004 State DOT capital program as paltry. The industry, represented at the hearing by the Long Island Contractors Council, the lower Hudson Construction Industry Council, the General Contractors Association and a state-wide coalition group known as the "Crisis Program," appears to be ready to burn bridges with the Pataki Administration. They harshly criticized the Governor for abdicating responsibility to invest in the highway system, and called instead on the Legislature to step up as the industry's champion. The highway construction groups will soon release a report calling for a $26 billion highway program. The "Crisis Program's" message is one of crumbling infrastructure ¾ needed road and bridge repair is not being done. However, the group's forthcoming study reportedly refers extensively to the need for "congestion relief," and it is unlikely a $26 billion or even a more realistically expanded NYS DOT program would focus exclusively on maintenance. The group briefed the State Senate Transportation Committee on its agenda Monday.

The Governor's $14.3 billion proposal is an increase from the 1995-2000 program, which was worth approximately $12.5 billion.

State Transportation Commissioner Joseph Boardman presented the Governor's program at the budget hearing, stating that the 1995-2000 capital program had reduced bridge and pavement deficiencies somewhat. He said the $14.3 billion 2000-2004 program would essentially allow the state to remain in place regarding road and bridge conditions, but not make significant improvements. State Assembly Transportation Chair David Gannt went to lengths to prod Boardman into saying he needed more money, but Boardman said the funding level reflected a "prudent" choice by Governor Pataki to keep the highway system from deteriorating, given a variety of budget considerations, including those within the transportation sector.

A number of State Senators, including Senate Transportation Committee Chair Cesar Trunzo, rumbled at the hearing about attaining highway-transit "parity" between the multi-year capital budgets, and told Boardman he might have to live with a one-year program while funding issues are hammered out in Albany. The Senate's veto of the MTA capital program (MTR #250) referred directly to the issue of highway spending and road-transit parity.

The MTA's proposed capital program, which the Governor backs, is for $16.5 billion. The Governor's proposal breaks from a recent tradition of approving roughly equivalent DOT and MTA budgets (see MTR #252). "Parity" is essentially a political formula, and indeed road industry representatives said on Tuesday that parity should be abandoned in favor of their huge highway spending proposal. On the other hand, if one takes a more encompassing look at transportation agencies, capital spending proposals on the table in NY State in fact add up to a rough road-transit parity:

· MTA 2000-2004 transit proposal: $16.5 billion

· Pataki proposed non-MTA transit capital: $146 million

· Pataki 2000-2004 NYSDOT proposal: $14.3 billion

· MTA Bridges/Tunnels 2000-2004 proposal: $1 billion

· Thruway proposed 5-year capital program: $1 billion

Transit = $16.6 billion Highways = $16.3 billion

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign testified in favor of the general priority to transit that the Governor's budget reflects, but called for implementation the Empire State Transportation Alliance's $18.2 billion MTA program. The Campaign said DOT would have more money for needed road repair if it abandoned unpopular road widening projects like that for Route 120 along the Kensico Reservoir in Westchester and for Route 347 in Brookhaven, and that any new funding for NYSDOT should have program language attached dedicating it to road and bridge repair. The Campaign also backed calls by county and municipal associations for the Governor to rescind proposed cuts to the roadway local aid budget.