State officials are again seeking federal assistance in the financing of a new Tappan Zee Bridge after the state was not invited to apply for funding under a federal program this past spring.
Speaking in Piermont Aug. 20, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state would submit a new letter of intent to the U.S. Department of Transportation for Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) assistance.
The statements from Cuomo came just hours after the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) gave its unanimous backing to the project.
The new letter would likely contain a more detailed financial plan for the estimated $5.2 billion project, an element that was lacking in the initial letter of intent submitted by the New York State Thruway Authority to the Transportation Department late last year, sources said.
The actual letter of intent is expected to be submitted over the next few weeks.
Dan Weiller, director of public affairs for the Thruway Authority, confirmed a more detailed letter of intent than the one-page document Cuomo presented in Piermont is forthcoming.
“Following the NYMTC vote ”“ which the USDOT (U.S. Department of Transportation) informed us was critical to qualify for funding ”“ the governor”™s letter was the beginning of the state application to the federal government for support, and a more detailed LOI (letter of intent) will follow in the near future,” Weiller said in an email.
Under the TIFIA program, public and private organizations are eligible to apply for direct loans, loan guarantees or standby lines of credit to finance surface transportation projects of national and regional significance.
The Thruway Authority previously sought up to $2 billion in TIFIA assistance. However, it was not invited to submit an application due to the limited resources available in that particular round of funding, state and federal officials have said.
Resources available under the current round of funding have been significantly increased as part of a transportation bill passed by Congress earlier this summer.
“There is no doubt that the bridge replacement is critical,” Cuomo wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. “TIFIA funding is an important component for this project and on behalf of the state of New York, I request your fullest consideration of the Tappan Zee replacement project for all available federal support.”
Cuomo has said the state”™s ability to garner federal funding is critical to limiting the impact of toll increases once the new bridge opens.
On Aug. 20, the NYMTC, which includes county executives from Westchester, Putnam and Rockland, voted unanimously in favor of including the bridge project in the region”™s long-term transportation plan.
Without a consensus vote by the NYMTC, the state would not have been eligible to apply for federal funding.
