Bidding opens on infrastructure projects under New York Works

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bethany Bump

A handful of local projects that are part of New York Works have opened for bidding, moving several major infrastructure initiatives forward.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state leaders also announced Thursday the appointment of 15 members to the NY Works Task Force.

The Capital Region will be represented by Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, D-Cohoes, whose district includes parts of Saratoga, Albany and Rensselaer counties. The nine governor-appointed and six legislature-appointed officials work in finance, labor, government, planning and transportation, and will help coordinate the $16 billion statewide infrastructure plan.

The 101 NY Works project contracts totaling more than $133 million to repair state highways, bridges and parks opened for bidding in the last week, with construction on the first wave of state park projects (none yet in the Capital Region) scheduled to begin this summer.

There are currently seven contracts representing 97 highway and bridge projects across the state open for bidding. In the immediate Capital Region, bridge and pavement projects up for bid include several planned for Schenectady, Saratoga, Schoharie, Montgomery and Albany counties:

• Route 7 from the Schoharie County line to Normans Kill Bridge in Princetown, Schenectady County

• Route 5S from Amsterdam in Montgomery County to the Schenectady County line

• Route 197 from Route 32 to the Hudson River in Saratoga County

• Route 32 from Elm Avenue to Route 9W in Albany County

• Route 9W from Miller Road to Neil Boulevard in Albany County

• Route 162 bridge over railroad tracks in Root, Montgomery County

• Route 20 bridge over Fly Creek in Esperance, Schoharie County

• The Congress Street Bridge, which carries Route 2 over the Hudson River between Troy and Watervliet in Albany County

These projects had obtained final design approval and were advertised to construction contractors, who then developed detailed plans for construction that were submitted to the state Department of Transportation.

Projects located most closely together were bundled into a single contract to enable DOT to lower expenses and obtain lower bids. The contract with the lowest bid will have its proposal sent for review and approval to the state Attorney General and Comptroller’s offices.

In a Thursday news release, Cuomo emphasized that the preventive maintenance being done at these sites is the best bet to preserve state infrastructure and prevent bigger, more costly construction projects down the road.

“Funding from the NY Works program allows DOT to address infrastructure deficiencies before they become large-scale projects that require expensive repairs,” the release said. “NY Works is designed to address not only the infrastructure needs of all deteriorating roads and bridges, but the program will also focus on pavement and bridge decks that are in fair condition and improve their condition to good.”

The state DOT will continue to advertise and open contract bids for NY Works programs over the next few months.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said in a release that he is glad the Task Force will include colleagues such as Canestrari and Assemblyman Herman “Denny” Farrell,

“I am pleased that the state of New York will have a coordinated, streamlined and prioritized plan for building and rebuilding our infrastructure,” he said. “Bridges, highways, dams, parks and other such projects are the backbone of our economy and an important source of well-paid jobs.”