Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson, Putnam County, is holding a press conference on Friday to push for public-private partnerships for the Tappan Zee Bridge. It’s at 1 p.m. at the Mount Kisco Library.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo had want
ed to pursue public-private partnerships for the Tappan Zee Bridge, particularly having unions invest pension funds into the new bridge, which will cost about $5.2 billion.
There hasn’t been much talk of late about PPPs from Cuomo, but Ball continues to discuss it. He said he’s working with the Business Council of Westchester on proposals.
“New York is the capitol of capital and our current inability to proactively fund vital infrastructure projects, small and large, is simply inexcusable. Public-private partnerships (P3’s) would better enable New York to finance public work projects, such as the transit portion of the Tappan Zee Bridge, while reducing the burden on federal, state and local taxpayers as well as commuters and ratepayers,” Ball said in a statement.
Ball and the Business Council are also planning a roundtable called “Social Infrastructure (Public School and Municipal Facility Construction). It’s being held Thursday, Oct. 11 from 1 p.m. 3 p.m. at the Mt. Kisco Library.
1 Comment
Whether it is funded by public or private sources is irrelevant. The reason NYS can’ t finance the TZ Bridge is because the numbers don’t work. And that’s because:
1. the proposed bridge is WAY TOO BIG and EXPENSIVE;
2. Drivers will balk at the tolls required to pay for such an oversized bridge;
3. Taxpayers are, hopefully, too wary to foot the bill.
It is not just me saying this, but also Merrill Lynch and conservative NYPost columnist Nicole Gelinas. And if I were a union member, I would be darn scared about my pension if I knew it might be risked on a project that nobody else will invest in.