Time to act
We sit in traffic on I-684 or the Taconic State Parkway and we grumble.
We ride the train into Manhattan; it comes to a dead stop and we sit and we grumble.
Time is money.
We drive uneasily over the Tappan Zee Bridge wondering how many “patches” it can withstand. Our fear of plunging into the water below overcomes our penchant to grumble ”“ not only about the time we waste creeping over the span but the countless dollars spent on these Band-Aids.
It”™s one thing to complain and another to do something about it.
This is where the aptly named “Confronting The Crisis: Solving Our Regional Transportation Infrastructure Issues” comes in.
On April 8, top-flight business, political and labor leaders and government officials from Connecticut, New York and New Jersey will address a number of topics during the Third Annual Infrastructure Conference.
The forum will be held at Iona College in New Rochelle, the school where presenting sponsor Westport-based Terex Corp.”™s Chairman and CEO Ronald DeFeo graduated from in 1974.
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“Upgrading our regional transportation infrastructure to meet the demands of a new century will require the combined efforts of municipal, regional, state and federal governments as well as the private sector,” DeFeo said.
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The Terex chief also suggested that a unified force without partisan bickering will be key to not just making the overly needed repairs, but to restore economic competitiveness to a region that has been strafed by the recession and high taxes.
To that end, speakers and panel members will discuss practical solutions and funding needed to bring the regional transportation infrastructure up to par. The current needs and demands of key transportation links in the region such as the 800-pound gorilla ”“ the Tappan Zee Bridge ”“ will be examined during the opening discussion.
It is interesting to note that in the recent executive budget released by Gov. David Paterson there was not one mention of the aging and ailing superstructure.
With aging infrastructure, you cannot ignore it and hope it goes away.
Infrastructure, as the name implies, is the fundamental base upon which communities, states and countries rely on. With no or poor infrastructure, you may as well be living in Baghdad.
Businesses are reliant on infrastructure and in turn infrastructure needs business to help keep it in operational shape. We hope by confronting this growing crisis in our region, we can find solutions that can be implemented by our elected lawmakers. Failure to act will be perilous to our region ”“ and each of us will pay the price.
We will report to you as more details of the conference are finalized.