Albany Update

Construction Begins on New Cutting Edge $150-Million NYSDOT Laboratory Project

ALBANY — New York State officials announced on Sept. 2 that the New York State Department of Transportation and the Office of General Services have broken ground on the $150.5-million project to build a consolidated, cutting edge materials testing facility for the New York State Department of Transportation at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany.

The state of the art Central Testing Laboratory will replace NYSDOT’s outdated and undersized, 60 plus year old facilities with an expanded complex that will increase NYSDOT’s ability to sustainably test and certify that the products and materials used on New York’s roads and bridges are safe and can withstand the challenges of the 21st century. The new laboratory, estimated for completion in fall 2029, will help NYSDOT fulfill its mission to provide all New Yorkers with a safe and reliable transportation network, state officials said.

“The New York State Department of Transportation is a national leader in the deployment of reliable and adaptable materials on our roads and bridges, and this testing facility plays a major role in these efforts,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “We are investing more in our state’s infrastructure than at any other time in our history, the foundation of which begins with a laboratory that has the testing capacity to certify that the materials the department uses are the safest and most dependable products in the nation. This new facility will also ensure that New York State remains an innovative leader in developing and utilizing sustainable transportation materials on our roads and bridges, which will in turn increase resiliency throughout the state’s highway system.”

A rendering of the NYSDOT Central Testing Laboratory to be built at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany.

NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez added, “The baseline of a safe transportation system begins and ends with the work that is performed every day in our Central Laboratory, and breaking ground on this new facility is a critical step in ensuring the safety of our roads and bridges for generations to come.”

NYSDOT’s Central Testing Laboratory performs approximately 100,000 tests each year, evaluating the chemical, physical and performance properties of the thousands of materials used on transportation projects in New York State. An accredited central state laboratory is required by the Federal Highway Administration and is a cornerstone of NYSDOT’s robust construction and materials quality assurance program. The laboratory tests ensure that all materials used meet state and federal quality and performance standards.

The current laboratory testing facilities are spread across two outdated buildings, the traffic signal laboratory and the drillers’ operation center. While these facilities continue to safely perform critical testing functions, they fall short of modern building and laboratory standards and no longer meet NYSDOT’s needs.

The new laboratory will consolidate all facilities into one location, optimizing an innovative layout to expand and enhance critical activities, accommodate new testing equipment and evaluate materials used on roads and bridges across the state. This new space will support NYSDOT’s continued commitment to high quality materials, including asphalt and concrete performance mixes, to ensure they provide the resiliency, sustainability and traction characteristics to make roadways safer, especially during inclement weather. The Central Testing Lab has always been at the national forefront in establishing requirements for new equipment and testing methods to ensure that low carbon materials meet stringent technical and performance standards, establishing reliable methodologies to identify, verify and integrate low carbon materials into state infrastructure projects.

The new 114,500 square foot facility has been designed to meet New York State’s sustainability standards by prioritizing energy efficiency. It will operate fully on electric power, using geothermal energy to heat and cool the building. The grounds outside will also include electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for fleet vehicles.

Building highlights will include:

  • Advanced testing equipment for materials and traffic signal laboratories, featuring full electric power that utilizes a geothermal heating and cooling system with wellfields extending 800 feet below the surface. This sustainable system will harness the earth’s natural temperature to provide reliable, efficient temperature control in the new building.
  • A steel framed building with ethylene propylene diene monomer roofing on a concrete mat slab.
  • A total of 17 core laboratories, a high bay strength lab for a 1 million pound rated, custom testing frame and a modern training area with retractable walls.
  • Garage space with three drive through double bays for holding large vehicles with trailers, forklift charging, an overhead crane, an environmental chamber and traffic signal testing wall with space for staging, as well as office and warehouse spaces.

Published: September 17, 2026

Scroll to Top