New York state paves the way for big infrastructure

Six months into Donald Trump's presidency and not a single infrastructure project has been approved as a result of any efforts by him and his administration. It is all talk, so far, even though it was a cornerstone of Trump's campaign and also that of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Both candidates painted pictures of the entire country being completely starved of infrastructure spending and, while it is true that much of the US' infrastructure is crumbling, renewal is taking place — just not on the scale of Trump's much-hyped $1 trillion infrastructure spending plan.

Nevertheless, some significant projects started long before Trump took office. One such example can be found in New York's Hudson Valley, about 14 miles north of New York City.

The $3.98 billion new Tappan Zee Bridge, just north of the existing bridge, is nearing completion and likely to partly open to traffic during the autumn and be fully open in both directions in mid-2018. The project was at least 10 years in the making, stuck fast in a quagmire of political ineptitude, before Governor Andrew Cuomo got things moving and contracts were signed and construction began in 2013.

The $3.98 billion new Tappan Zee Bridge nearing completion, to replace the old bridge in the background. Photo by Anthony Poole.

Construction of the 3.1-mile, two-span, cable-stayed bridge, linking Westchester — home of the Clintons — and Rockland counties at one of the widest points on the Hudson will have used nearly 100,000 mt of US-made steel and 270 cu m of concrete when complete, New NY Bridge Project, the formal name of the replacement bridge, says on its website.

The construction has employed around 6,300 people on or off-site, including subcontractors, according to Khurram Saeed, a New NY Bridge Project spokesman. Tappan Zee Constructors, a consortium of four companies — Flour Enterprises, American Bridge, Traylor Bros and Granite Construction Northeast — has combined local, national and international experience to design and build the bridge. According to Saeed, Tappan Zee Constructors has had $2.37 billion of commitments to date, including $1.06 billion on subcontractors, $825 million in permanent materials and $494 million of indirect expenses.

Two of the four V-shaped supports on the Rockland side of the new Tappan Zee Bridge to which the stay cables are tethered. These concrete and steel structures tower above the old bridge and will support the entire weight of the central sections of the new bridge. Photo by Anthony Poole.

The new bridge will have a life expectancy of about 100 years, according to New NY Bridge. It will replace the old cantilever structure, opened in 1955 with a planned lifespan of 50 years and designed to carry considerably less than the 137,000 (2011 estimate) vehicles/day it now carries. Unlike the old bridge, the new structure will have dedicated bus lanes, giving commuters in Rockland County on the west side of the Hudson access to an overcrowded Metro-North commuter railroad in Westchester, on the east side, potentially cutting commute times to New York City considerably. The new bridge will also feature emergency hard shoulders and a 12-ft-wide shared bike and pedestrian lane, both absent on the old bridge.

To fund the new bridge, its owner, the New York Thruway Authority, in December 2013, closed on a $1.6 billion, long-term, low-interest soft loan through the 1998 Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program, administered by the US Department of Transportation, which explains the large US steel component. It was the largest loan in the history of the program at the time, according to the New NY Bridge Project on its website. A further $2 billion in bank settlement funds have been committed to support Thruway capital improvements over the last two years, including helping pay for the bridge. The remainder of the funding is from Thruway Authority bonds. Thruway tolls are frozen until at least 2020.

While 100,000 mt of US-made steel in a single project may not seem like much in the grand scheme, if a fraction of the nation's dilapidated bridges and railways are repaired or replaced during the lifetime of the Trump administration, that 100,000 mt figure would multiply quickly and significantly, especially if funded through programs like TIFIA.

New York state is also home to another large bridge project — the replacement of the partly opened $1.5 billion Goethals Bridge, replacing an older one between New Jersey and the New York City borough of Staten Island — also involving TIFIA funding. This bridge is due to be fully open before the end of the year.

The new Tappan Zee Bridge, showing a small gap where the final piece of the eastbound span will be installed, with the old bridge behind it. Photo by Anthony Poole.

Use of existing legislation, such as TIFIA, has done more to get US infrastructure moving than any new law or initiative since Trump took office. A look at the TIFIA project map on the US DOT's website shows several projects funded using program loans, including no less than six in close proximity to Washington. These projects are concentrated primarily along the East, West and Gulf coasts.

It is in the power of the administration and Congress to continue to support and fund programs like TIFIA, or come up with something bigger. But actions speak louder than words, whether on the floor of Congress or on Twitter.