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Governor Cuomo Issues Reforms, Singles Out I-287

PELHAM, N.Y. – Depot Market Manager Mike Grund does not drive on many Westchester County highways but still approves of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent comments about efficiency regarding highway construction.

Cuomo’s office issued a press release Wednesday in which he singled out the I-287 construction that began in 1996 and has yet to end. The Governor announced reforms that will affect all New York State Department of Transportation projects in the future. He also issued specific mandates for the I-287 project.

Grund said he is in favor of faster construction.

“If it expedites the process of getting the work done, it would be great,” Grund said. “Generally, work like that is always slow in production.”

Grund suggested a system employed by California, in which workers are rewarded financially the faster they finish a project.

Cuomo ordered an independent review of the I-287 project in June and the results led to a two-tiered set of reforms from the Governor. For project management, workers must utilize consultants to analyze designs for projects before they begin and must have monthly meetings to review issues. They must also accept or reject change orders within two weeks, a process that has in the past taken up to year.

The Governor also instituted some agency-wide changes to the NYSDOT. The agency will have monthly meetings to review projects and will undergo changes to the funding process and sharing of resources across the state. Cuomo also plans to implement a new performance review system.

The original cost of the first five stages of the I-287 project was estimated at $490 million, but overruns swelled that number to $568 million, a 16 percent increase.

Cuomo’s reforms will have an effect on the I-287 project rather quickly. The NYSDOT has set goals of 90 percent on-time construction and no more than five percent total overruns. That new system means the I-287 construction will end in December 2012 instead of August 2013.

Cuomo said in the press release that New York State must get in gear with regard to construction projects.

"I have repeatedly said that government must protect every taxpayer dollar by being efficient and effective," Cuomo said. "For over a decade, the I-287 project has been mired in delays and cost overruns, and that's why I ordered an independent review and that's why the Department of Transportation is making these important reforms."

 

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