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| Staten Island EXPWY project (Bus/HOV lane ext.) in limbo {Bradley Av backup continues} (201822) | |||
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Staten Island EXPWY project (Bus/HOV lane ext.) in limbo {Bradley Av backup continues} |
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Posted by gOlD_12tH on Thu Jul 15 15:34:06 2010 City-state feud imperils Staten Island Expressway projectA crucial planned reconstruction of the Staten Island Expressway is being held hostage to wrangling by the city and state Departments of Transportation over the federal funding pot. Before the work -- to tame traffic on the roadway and cure the "Bradley Avenue backup" -- could begin next year, the project needed a unanimous vote of approval by both DOTs, the Department of City Planning and the MTA. But city DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan cast a "no" vote, to send a message to the state DOT that it needs to come through with the $400 million in federal dollars the city says it's owed for its own local projects. Without Ms. Sadik-Khan's approval, the project can't move forward and is in danger of being canceled, with the $75 million in funds set aside for it in jeopardy of being snatched away for other projects. "Unfortunately, this is merely the latest in a series of New York City DOT actions that threaten projects in Staten Island and all across New York City," state DOT Regional Director Phillip Eng wrote in a letter to City Councilman James Oddo sent late last week. Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn), along with Rep. Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn), has been actively pushing for the highway improvement project for years and seeks to move the feuding agencies to an agreement. "While we understand New York City DOT's concerns over the levels of federal funding and commend their efforts to seek additional funds, we are disappointed that our two agencies have been unable to resolve funding and programmatic differences in a more constructive fashion so that critical projects may be allowed to go forward," Eng wrote. "If the department cannot advance this project as per the current schedule, growing needs coupled with limited resources may prevent reprogramming of the project in the foreseeable future," he concluded. For its part, the city DOT claims the state owes the funds through longstanding commitments and a traditional formula of reimbursement for local projects. Without those reimbursements, the city may have to cut other critical projects in the future. "The state needs to take Staten Island's roads and safety projects out of the budget crossfire," Ms. Sadik-Khan said in a statement. "Cutting $400 million in funding owed to the city is playing politics with critical transportation projects, and the damage will be felt in everything from road conditions to traffic operations on Staten Island and across the city." But the state DOT says it is subject to the same budget cuts as every other government agency, and the city's requests for more money simply don't reflect the current economic reality. The project in limbo includes the extension of the Expressway's bus lane from Slosson Avenue to Victory Boulevard, as well as the addition of fourth lanes to most of the highway between the Verrazano Bridge toll plaza and Bradley Avenue, where the "Bradley Avenue backup" phenomenon brings traffic to a crawl most hours of the day. The work also includes adding six entrance and exit ramps, widening four overpasses, realigning and leveling a section through Sunnyside to remove the road's sharpest and steepest curves, and demolition of the unused overpasses that would have connected to a planned section of highway through the Greenbelt that was never built. The project had been expected to start next year, with completion in 2013. The SIE's design manager once estimated the combined improvements could help keep traffic moving at a 45-mph clip during rush hours, a speed unimaginable under today's road conditions. Upon hearing about the project's rejection, McMahon, Oddo and City Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore) wrote to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson to urge them to intervene and devise a solution to ensure construction goes ahead as planned. "As it currently stands, unless a consensus is reached between state and city DOT we will lose this money and the necessary projects to make improvements to the SIE will be doomed as a result of inter-agency bureaucratic wrangling," they wrote. "These folks need to get in a room and figure it out, because as of right now, these projects aren't happening," Oddo said. "The money's there, and now it's just being held hostage by playing a game of chicken," McMahon said. "This project is time-sensitive. We cannot lose it. "It would be a crime not to get this done." The state DOT is gearing up for a separate Expressway improvement project, expected to start next month. That project, which is also projected to cost about $75 million, involves improvements to eight on- and off-ramps nearest to the Verrazano Bridge, along with the widening of the Fingerboard Road overpass and the re-alignment of the highway leading into the Lily Pond toll plaza. Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/city-state_feud_perils_staten.html |
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