Public-private partnerships could have a big future in New York, particularly given the state’s financial situation. A “state asset maximization” commission appointed by Gov. Paterson released its final report this week, identifying several public projects where the private sector could play a significant role and recommending that a state board be created to oversee them.
The transportation section of the report begins with a sobering recital of statistics showing that virtually every New York transportation agency is facing serious funding challenges that make it difficult to maintain state infrastructure.
Few projects symbolize the state’s funding challenges better than the Tappan Zee Bridge; the NYSDOT-led study team believes that constructing the bridge and a cross-corridor transit system will require almost $20 billion more than conventional means can raise. While this project remains the most high-profile candidate for a public-private partnership, the Commission’s report sheds little light on the state’s future plans for the bridge. Instead the report lays out five smaller pilot projects that the state should pursue.
One of those projects is to encourage transit-oriented development around MTA stations. The report cites Metro-North’s partnerships with private developers and local governments in Yonkers and Southeast (the agency is doing similar work in Harrison and Beacon), and says that other MTA member agencies should follow suit. In January, the MTA released a sustainability report recommending that it initiate a transit-oriented development program.
High-speed rail is also identified as a natural opportunity for a public-private partnership. The other transportation pilot projects involve contracting with one company to operate and maintain the Gowanus Expressway, and using PPPs to build the Buffalo Harbor Bridge and repair and replace various bridges throughout the state.
The commission also notes that federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has suggested that the next five-year federal transportation bill will encourage use of public-private partnerships.
[…] 4, 2009 · No Comments Steven Higashide brings us this story on the New York City area’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The state’s […]
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Now that we wasted close to a billion dollars “repairing” the Gowanus, is it time to admit defeat? I guess better late than never. But we need to think bigger. The BQE in its entirety should become a toll road. It boggles the mind that people everywhere else (NJ Turnpike, NYS Thruway) pay for their use of a road, but NYC residents have to live with the smoke-belching multitudes on the BQE and not get a cent for it. The BQE is a good candidate because it takes people where they want to go (like the NJ Turnpike) and is grade-separated for virtually its entire length.
[…] Report: MTA Should Team Up With Developers on TOD (MTR) […]
[…] the deal could open the door to further use of PPPs. Last year, a New York state commission suggested that the state consider private operation and maintenance of the Gowanus Expressway and use of PPPs for […]