December 2022

WASHINGTON—The FTA on Monday announced it will award six grants in the region to improve accessibility for people with disabilities at rail transit systems, especially targeting the oldest facilities.

ALBANY—The New York State Thruway Authority Board of Directors approved the start of a process to increase tolls to help finance its ambitious and necessary $1.9-billion 2023-2027 capital plan.
Thruway Authority officials stated that the toll hike, is its first systemwide toll increase since 2010. It is necessitated by an additional nearly $500 million in needed infrastructure work, which is not currently supported by the funding stream of the existing 2022-2026 capital plan.

NEW YORK—Touted as the largest expansion of Metro North train service in its history—construction on the $3.18-billion Penn Station Access project has begun that will add four new Metro-North stations and bring rail service within one mile of 500,000 residents. The four new stations will be in Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, and Co-Op City and will be accessible to all in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

ALBANY—In the past few weeks work has begun on two major green energy projects, including the $6-billion Champlain
Hudson Power Express 339-mile transmission line project that, when completed, will deliver reliable clean energy from Hydro-Québec in Canada directly to New York City.

HARRISON, NY—Anja Porto recalls the terror of the rising flood waters that she and her husband Robert lived through during Hurricane Ida last September.

This column has often advised that a mechanic’s lien is a powerful tool to help unpaid contractors get paid. Private liens have the benefits of attaching to the title of the land that was improved, and permitting the contractor to recover from the owner of the property—even though there may be no contractual relationship between the unpaid contractor and that property owner.

TARRYTOWN—State and local politicians agree that New York State and many localities throughout the Empire State are facing a housing crisis, specifically the lack of affordable for-purchase or rental housing.

ALBANY—Matthew Driscoll, executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority, and who held the top post for the past five years, announced at the Authority’s board of directors meeting on Dec. 5 that he would resign on Dec. 20, 2022.

A recent meeting of building contractors and advisors of the Building Contractors Association in mid-December examined the major challenges in the insurance market today as well as the outlook for insurance for the construction industry marketplace in 2023. Here is a summary of those discussions.