Letter to Victor M. Mendez, Administrator Federal Highway Administration

Letter

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer wrote a letter to Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, demanding a full investigation into the I-287 construction project that is $67 million over budget, according to media reports. The delays and cost overruns are responsible for bringing the per-mile cost of construction to $63 million, which is more than twice the cost of comparable projects in the Hudson Valley, according to a Journal News investigation. In his letter, Schumer asks FHWA to immediately identify the source of the delays and cost overruns, and to ensure that the appropriate parties are held responsible.

"Sixty seven million dollars in cost overruns is completely unacceptable, and we must immediately get to the bottom of this," said Schumer. "I'm calling on the Federal Highway Administration to immediately launch a top-to-bottom investigation into what went wrong, what we can do to fix it, how we can prevent it from happening in other places, and how we hold the proper individuals responsible. Taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for tens of millions in cost overruns because of mistakes made throughout the process. I'm going to work closely with the Federal Highway Administration to make sure we get this right."

The Federal Highway Administration is responsible for distributing the funding to states for highway projects like I-287, and is also required to sign off on additional change order requests that authorize the purchase of new materials or the completion of additional work. Schumer is concerned that insufficient oversight on these requests led to the project failing to meet its projected budget. Schumer wants a complete, top-down investigation from the federal authorities down to the contractors to determine the source of the problem, what can be done to stop this from happening on other highway projects, and what can be done to make sure the appropriate parties are held responsible.

A copy of Senator Schumer's letter to Administrator Mendez appears below:

May 5, 2011

Victor M. Mendez

Administrator

Federal Highway Administration

1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.
Washington, DC 20590-9898

Dear Administrator Mendez:

I write regarding the Interstate 287 reconstruction project in Westchester County, New York, a project which has been plagued with delays and cost overruns for a decade, to ask that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) immediately commence an investigation of this project and take action to reign in its excessive costs.

Workers broke ground on the I-287 reconstruction project in 2000 and, at that time, it was projected that the project would be completed in 2010 at a total cost of $350 million. Unfortunately, cost overruns and repeated delays have been a persistent problem and we are now looking at a completion date of 2013 and a total project cost of $544 million, according to media reports. It is my understanding that New York State, which manages the I-287 reconstruction, is beginning a review of the project, however, as these are federal taxpayer dollars which are being mismanaged, it is imperative that FHWA conduct their own investigation as well. Building and maintaining our transportation infrastructure is indeed an important function of government, but we must always strive to make sure that tax dollars spent on these projects are used wisely. The Interstate 287 reconstruction project has raised questions as to whether or not federal dollars are being properly used and it is for this reason that I ask your agency to take a closer look at this project to find out where the problems lie. I also believe it is critical that taxpayers not be left on the hook for cost overruns. The parties responsible for the delays and overruns must be held fully accountable, and I look forward to working with your Administration to ensure that this happens.

Thank you for your attention to this important request. Please don't hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

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