Politics across the Hudson : the Tappan Zee megaproject / Philip Mark Plotch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Plotch, Philip Mark, 1961- author.

Series:

Rivergate regionals.

Rivergate Regionals

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Transportation--Political aspects--New York (State)--New York Metropolitan Area.

Transportation.

Local transit--Political aspects--New York (State)--New York Metropolitan Area.

Local transit.

Transportation and state--New York (State)--New York Metropolitan Area.

Transportation and state.

Tappan Zee Bridge (N.Y.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (266 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, New Jersey ; London, [England] : Rutgers University Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The State of New York is now building one of the world's longest, widest, and most expensive bridges-the new Tappan Zee Bridge-stretching more than three miles across the Hudson River, approximately thirteen miles north of New York City. In Politics Across the Hudson, urban planner Philip Plotch offers a behind-the-scenes look at three decades of contentious planning and politics centered around this bridge, recently renamed for Governor Mario M. Cuomo, the state's governor from 1983 to 1994. He reveals valuable lessons for those trying to tackle complex public policies while also confirming our worst fears about government dysfunction. Drawing on his extensive experience planning megaprojects, interviews with more than a hundred key figures-including governors, agency heads, engineers, civic advocates, and business leaders-and extraordinary access to internal government records, Plotch tells a compelling story of high-stakes battles between powerful players in the public, private, and civic sectors. He reveals how state officials abandoned viable options, squandered hundreds of millions of dollars, forfeited more than three billion dollars in federal funds, and missed out on important opportunities. Faced with the public's unrealistic expectations, no one could identify a practical solution to a vexing problem, a dilemma that led three governors to study various alternatives rather than disappoint key constituencies. Politics Across the Hudson continues where Robert Caro's The Power Broker left off and illuminates the power struggles involved in building New York's first major new bridge since the Robert Moses era. Plotch describes how one governor, Andrew Cuomo, shrewdly overcame the seemingly insurmountable obstacles of onerous environmental regulations, vehement community opposition, insufficient funding, interagency battles, and overly optimistic expectations.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Illustrations

Tables

Acknowledgments

Guides To This Book

Introduction

1. The I-287 Corridor: From Conception To Congestion

2. Searching For Congestion Solutions (1980 - 1988)

3. Finalizing Plans For The HOV Lane (1988-1995)

4. Killing The HOV Lane (1994 - 1997)

5. Permut's Rail Line And Platt's Bridge

6. Pataki's Task Force: Raising Expectations Sky-High (1998 - 2000)

7. The Thruway Authority Versus Metro-North (2000-2006)

8. Eliot Spitzer Doesn't Have Enough Steam (2007 - 2008)

9. David Paterson: The Overwhelmed Governor (2008 - 2010)

10. Andrew Cuomo Takes Charge In 2011

11. Public Reaction And Cuomo's Campaign (2011-2012)

12. Lost Opportunities And Wasted Resources

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About The Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-8135-7252-5

OCLC:

913467995