ALBANY – It is uncertain whether any of the infrastructure funding promised in Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s speech Wednesday will go toward fixing the long deteriorating state Rt. 12 and easing the traffic congestion through the City of Norwich.
New York State Senator Thomas Libous said improvements to the highway corridor linking Binghamton to Utica could be in the mix, but he wasn’t certain how the funding would be distributed throughout the state.
“Rt. 12 is certainly one of the priorities that has been on the back burner and needs continued upgrading and safety improvements,” he said.
Gov. Cuomo outlined a vast program of new construction on bridges, highways and other public works as part of his State of the State address yesterday. He detailed a far-reaching infrastructure program, which would be highlighted by the construction of a new Tappan Zee Bridge financed in part by investments from labor union pension funds. He also proposed to accelerate scores of other public works projects for which the government has already sought financing. Under his plan, 48 state parks and historic sites would be improved, more than 100 bridges would be repaired or replaced, and 2,000 miles of roads would be refurbished.
He also called for the construction of the country’s largest convention center, to be located at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens; for $1 billion in new spending to revitalize the city of Buffalo; and for the state to begin the process of amending its Constitution to legalize Las Vegas-style casinos.
Sen. Libous said the state’s legislature and the governor are encouraging partnerships between the state’s government and business sectors in order to fund the expensive road and bridge projects. The endeavor would create badly needed construction jobs and put a halt to borrowing or bonding for the projects, he said.
“The Tappan Zee would cost $10 billion. We don’t have that kind of money, and borrowing is not something the state should be doing. Moving forward, it’s how road and bridges are going to get done. The private sector needs to begin investing in this,” he said.
Instead of upstate companies along the Rt. 12 corridor helping to afford the roadwork needed, however, Libous instead referred to a group of investment bankers in Chicago who recently purchased a bridge, repaired it and took over the tolls as an example of the type of public/private sector partnership the governor is hoping for.
The Raymond Corporation and other motorists who make heavy use of Rt. 12 in the Town of Greene will most likely see construction begin soon. After more than two decades of planning and numerous rounds of state and federal transportation funding, an estimated $16.9 million repair of a 5.5 mile stretch from just south of Genegantslet Road to just north of Harbor Road in the Town of Greene is anticipated to begin in the spring.
The primary project objective of the project is to address the pavement, bridges, culverts, drainage and overall safety. Secondary enhancements called for by a Chenango County Chamber of Commerce Rt. 12 Task Force in 2002 would improve reliability and mobility with the addition of north and south bound turning lanes and a passing lane.
Left out of the Governor’s address was any mention of the state assuming the full cost for Medicaid. The state Senate is currently looking at that prospect from “a very serious standpoint,” Libous said, but with local governments, in turn, assuring cost containment measures.
The state took over a portion of Medicaid two years ago with a cap on spending, and Libous said if the health insurance program is taken over this year, local governments across New York State will be asked to put cost containment measures in place.
Also unexpectedly, the governor did not elaborate on the state’s ongoing regulatory review of shale gas drilling and its affect on the environment and economy. Libous said he expected the results of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s SGEIS review to result “in a positive move forward on environmentally safe drilling” this year.
Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch (R,I - Guilford) welcomed the governor’s plan to promote private-sector job growth and cut government waste. With that, state rules and regulations on small businesses must be reformed or eliminated, he stipulated.
“Other important issues that should be within reach are comprehensive unfunded mandate relief for local governments and school districts, a state spending cap, and no new taxes,” Crouch said in a statement released this morning.