Cuomo calls for MTA audit; LIRR completes bridge replacement

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday called for an audit of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) $52 billion capital plan. 

In a letter to MTA Chair and Chief Executive Officer Pat Foye, Cuomo instructed that an auditor should review the plan, the agency’s past performance, purchase of equipment and materials, and identify costs that are beyond market norms or comparable costs in the private sector. 

“There is much skepticism surrounding the MTA's ability to purchase, construct, repair or administer efficiently,” Cuomo wrote. “We do not want that skepticism to become an obstacle to the necessary investments and improvements the capital plan provides for the commuters of New York.”

Cuomo also called for an inspector general review of the integrity of the MTA's procurement and inventory control systems.

Cuomo requested that Foye confirm a delivery date of the audit and the availability of the accepting accounting firm to present the findings and to be available for discussion.

Meanwhile, MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) crews yesterday completed the replacement of a 108-year-old rail bridge over Nassau Boulevard in Garden City, New York. 

The original bridge — just 11-feet-and-six-inches above the roadway and well below modern design standards — was replaced with a higher bridge to reduce the potential of over-height trucks striking the bridge, LIRR officials said in a press release.

The bridge also includes a third bay where a third track will be constructed in 2022. The third track will increase LIRR capacity, allow reverse committing and increased service flexibility on the line, officials said.

The bridge is the fifth major bridge or grade crossing project to be completed over the past 17 weeks along the LIRR’s Main Line as part of the LIRR Expansion Project.