Lawsuit alleges Cuomo Bridge builders did not provide what was paid for
Some state lawmakers say they're frustrated because nearly $4 billion already went into the creation of this bridge, and it wasn't supposed to need work for a long time.
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A lawsuit filed against the builders of the Mario Cuomo Bridge claims the the New York State Thruway Authority did not get what was paid for.
"I'm surprised they have to fix it," says a frequent commuter of the bridge.
That fix is circled around the cable connectors to the bridge's main structure. Leaders with the New York State Thruway Authority say they weren't constructed up to standard and they want them to be retrofitted.
However, the Thruway Authority claims the original builders won't do it.
"Sixty-one anchor pipes out of a total of 192. Sixty-one don't meet the contractual requirements so therefore, we are going to hold them accountable and we're going to make sure they pay and not the toll payers," says Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank Hoare.
Some state lawmakers say they're frustrated because nearly $4 billion already went into the creation of this bridge, and it wasn't supposed to need work for a long time.
"These things really should have been managed throughout the construction process," says state Sen. Bill Weber (38th District).
"If they are saying there are some structural challenges that need to be addressed with maintenance seven years into the bridge being completed, that raises all sorts of concerns," says Rep. Mike Lawler (17th district).
Officials with the Thruway Authority plan to start fixing the cables on their own, but they want to be reimbursed for the cost to do that by the builders.
As that process moves along, the Thruway Authority says the most important thing to note is that the bridge is still safe to go over.
A spokesperson with the Thruway Authority says traffic will keep flowing while these fixes are made. They're hoping to start the first step in this process in the spring, that could last about 2 1/2 years altogether.
In the meantime, Weber says there could be potential hearings at the state level to figure out what went wrong and make sure there are no more surprises down the road.
a TZC spokesperson said in a statement:
“It is disappointing that the NYS Thruway Authority has chosen to further delay and attempt to distract from its significant liability for the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge instead of resolving the matter and paying its debts. Despite there being a clearly outlined dispute resolution process in our contract that requires the timely, fair and equitable resolution of claimed disputes, it has taken NYSTA approximately 7 years after placement of traffic on the bridge and the start of toll collection in 2017 to craft a position on the nearly 1 billion dollars due to TZC, and their position ignores NYSTA’s own non-binding advisory panel recommendation that entitles TZC to significant cost recovery and interest. TZC unequivocally stands by the high quality of our work and the caliber of the bridge and deserves to be compensated for this work, so we will continue to pursue our full recovery. As we have been throughout this process, we remain focused on our objective of reaching a fair and swift resolution with NYSTA, rather than continuing to draw out the claims process, which places an untenable cost burden on our companies and, ultimately, New York taxpayers. It is unfortunate that NYSTA does not share our objective and instead chooses to continue to pay lawyers thousands of dollars an hour on a needless lawsuit to recover costs where TZC not only funded a substantial portion of the project to date but delivered an outstanding project that met contract requirements. The taxes and toll payer monies being used to pay NYSTA’s legal bills would be much better spent on paying NYSTA’s debts and addressing issues with the 9% of structurally deficient bridges that exist in New York State.”
