Construction is well under way to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson, but New Yorkers still have only a dim idea how Gov. Cuomo plans to meet the $3.9 billion price tag — or how high the tolls will be when the bridge is done.
The governor is hoping at least $511 million will come via a loan from the state’s Environmental Facilities Corp., a state fund dedicated to helping municipalities finance cleanÂ-water projects.
To do it, he’ll have to get unanimous approval today from the three-member Public Authorities
Control Board.
The governor already appears to have two yea votes: Budget Director Bob Megna and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. So the only hope is Syracuse GOP Sen. John DeFrancisco, who says he may scuttle the loan unless the Thruway Authority provides a full and realistic funding plan.
Different groups oppose this loan for different reasons. Green outfits, including the federal EPA, are skeptical over what they see as a clear re-purposing of environmental dollars.
Meanwhile, the Westchester Municipal Officers Association rightly questions whether one branch of the Cuomo administration should be lending money to another.
Fact is, a total lack of transparency has been par for the course when it comes to this new Tappan Zee Bridge.
Sen. DeFrancisco would do New Yorkers a real service by striking a blow for full disclosure — and voting to kill this dubious loan.