Governor Cuomo laid out a set of ambitious plans during last week’s State of the State address. While more details will emerge with the Governor’s budget in mid-January, here’s a preliminary, issue-by-issue rundown of the speech and its ramifications for transportation.

Tappan Zee Bridge

Governor Cuomo didn’t talk much about the Tappan Zee Bridge:

“We will finally build a new the Tappan Zee Bridge, because 15 years of planning is too long,” he said.

Before moving forward, the Governor would do well to look at a recent Nyack News and Views poll in which 84% of respondents said that they wanted some form of mass transit on the Tappan Zee Bridge and 74% said that their elected officials’ position on this issue would affect their vote in the next election. This lends new importance to the pin that Cuomo wore during the State of the State speech. It read: “I work for the people.”

Infrastructure Investment & the MTA

Although Governor Cuomo skipped a section of his speech on the MTA Capital Program when he spoke in Albany, his written draft championed it. The program, he said, was “a major driver of economic activity and infrastructure development.” He went on to stress the importance of the “Built in NY” program, which “has an impact on economic development throughout New York State…We will continue to work with the Legislature to support the MTA capital program, not only for…riders, but also for manufacturing in the state.”

The loudest clapping came when Governor Cuomo mentioned something else about the MTA: the partial repeal of the MTA Payroll Mobility Tax. In the written text, though not delivered to the cheering crowd, he said that “the state will compensate the MTA for revenue lost as a result of the tax cut.” Unfortunately, the number he used was $250 million, even though it’s actually closer to $320 million.

NY Works Fund and Task Force

Cuomo also announced his intention to coordinate the capital programs of the MTA, the Port Authority, the New York State Department of Transportation, and the New York State Housing Authority. As Gene Russianoff has suggested, the consolidation (if done properly) could bring better coordination, planning, and information sharing, which would ultimately benefit the state (“the devil’s in the details,” he said). But if the Governor has his eye on the Port Authority as a potential cash cow to fund upstate roads and bridges (or if he intends divert MTA capital funds to woo suburban and upstate voters), sustainable transportation advocates should be wary.

Investment in Buffalo

The Governor said that he would invest $1 billion dollars in Buffalo’s economic development. But he should also help the people of western New York get to the jobs that will be created. Buffalo’s transit system recently announced plans to cut 22% of its service miles. Albany has reduced financial assistance to local transportation authorities in recent years (with funding called State Mass Transit Operating Assistance, or STOA). A state boost to local transit systems could help keep buses and trains rolling, and make it easier for people to get to work.

Smart Growth?

Governor Cuomo’s plans to build the nation’s largest convention center in Queens also presents an exciting opportunity: the redevelopment of the Javits Center site. Combined with Hudson Yards and the 7 train extension, the development could help bring the long-awaited revival of Manhattan’s west side (if done properly).