Readers Write: Riders, taxpayers seek accountability

The Island Now

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has recently complained about how slowly the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is spending his $2.5 billion contribution to the MTA $32 billion 2015-2019 five-year capital plan. 

Does he feel the same about how quickly both the MTA and his city Department of Transportation spend U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration funding?

The Federal Transit Administration provides over $1.2 billion in capital grants to the MTA yearly. 

The city DOT may average $60 million yearly.

Both are accomplished under the Federal Transit Administration Transit Award Management System used to award and manage federal grants. 

The MTA currently manages an active portfolio of federally funded capital improvement projects and programs in open grants worth over $12 billion in direct Federal Transit Administration financial assistance.

The city DOT does the same for $398 million, New Jersey Transit for $2.6 billion and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for $3.9 billion. 

Both the MTA and Federal Transit Administration have independent engineering consultant firms to supplement in house staff for oversight. 

These companies provide both oversight and technical assistance for capital projects.

Engineering firms monitor the progress of major capital projects and prepare monthly progress reports. 

They are made available to MTA Chairperson Joe Lhota, Veronique Hakim, MTA HQ staff, MTA board members (including four each directly appointed by both de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo),  MTA agency presidents including Capital Construction Janno Lieber, acting NYC Transit Darryl Irick, Long Island Rail Road Patrick Nowakowski, Metro North Rail Road Joseph Giulietti, MTA Bus Darryl Irick, each MTA operating agency chief engineer, FTA HQ and regional office senior management teams and in house project oversight staff. 

Citizens can access some of these documents by going to the Federal Transit Administration website.   

As part of requirements contained within all master grant agreements, using the Federal Transit Administration Transit Award Management System, the MTA and city DOT provides updated quarterly financial and milestone progress reports to the Federal Transit Administration on active capital improvement projects and programs. 

Have all MTA and the city DOT-grant funded capital project contracts been awarded?

Are they progressing on schedule and within budget?

Are any contract change orders fair, reasonable and documented? 

Do MTA and the city DOT seek federal reimbursement as appropriate on a regular basis? 

Are Cuomo, de Blasio, the MTA Board, MTA operating agency presidents, chief engineers and others aware of all this information?

Do they read these reports? 

If not, are they briefed on a regular basis by their respective staff on the contents of these reports?

Both de Blasio and Cuomo proudly boast how they manage the most transparent administrations in history. 

How much of this information is posted on their respective New York State, MTA, New York City and the city Department of Transportation websites?

State Comptroller Tom Di Napoli, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, city Office of Management and Budget and city Independent Budget Office all perform periodic audits of MTA projects and programs.

They do the same for the city DOT projects and programs.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, New York State Office of Inspector General, New York City Office of Inspector General and the MTA Office of Inspector General all perform periodic audits of MTA and operating agency projects and programs. 

Three of them do the same for NYC DOT projects and programs.

City, state and federal financial assistance along with farebox revenues fund MTA and city DOT capital projects and programs. 

Riders and taxpayers are looking for accountability, efficient and timely completion to assure more reliable and safe commutes.

Larry Penner

(Larry Penner is a transportation historian and advocate who previously worked 31 years for the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Region 2 NY Office.)

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