Rebuilding of the highway linking the New York State Thruway to New England has cost taxpayers $621 million, or $72 million per mile — double the rate of similar work in the Northeast, an investigation by The Journal News in Westchester County, N.Y., found.
“It’s unconscionable in every respect,” said Barry LePatner, a construction industry critic and author of Too Big To Fall: America’s Failing Infrastructure and the Way Forward.
Design errors, planning lapses and unanticipated road conditions drove up costs more than 14%. Among the extra expenses the report found:
•$6.8 million for asphalt not included in the original estimates — partly the result of a state engineer’s math error.
•$1 million for more temporary concrete dividers; plans called for only half the number needed.
•$1.5 million in unanticipated excavation costs.
The costliest of the six phases — rebuilding a 1.5-mile stretch and a dozen bridges in White Plains— was the only stage designed by state engineers instead of contractors. It was nearly 30% over budget and two years late.
“The design was totally incomplete, and they never did any quality control review that would allow them to stop and correct things instead of letting the contractors run up the cost,” LePatner said.
The work was mostly financed with Federal Highway Administration funds, but federal officials rely on the state to provide oversight.
After The Journal News, revealed the cost overruns and delays last spring, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered an independent review that found I-287 work was plagued by inadequate planning and accountability and that the state’s engineers lacked the experience needed for such large-scale projects.
Last month, Cuomo announced a series of changes including: capping overruns at 5%; establishing an internal review panel for major projects; speeding action on cost-increase requests; and hiring consultants to analyze designs before construction starts.
Congress requires states to submit and annually update detailed project management and finance plans for “major projects” worth more than $500 million. New York’s 8.6-mile project on I-287, at $621 million and counting, is considered “a collection of projects” by the FHWA and didn’t get that scrutiny.
Not every highway project runs into multimillion-dollar overruns. States including Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Oregon and Texas share some best practices, according to a 2011 study commissioned by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
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One Response
Bit I bet the contractors and labor unions doing the job are doing well and remembering to make their kickbacks (as campaign contributions, of course, since bribes are illegal) to the politicians running the projects.