Politics Across the Hudson : The Tappan Zee Megaproject

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. 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. "A behind-the-scenes look at three decades of planning and politics for the new Tappan Zee Bridge reveals essential lessons for those interested in tackling complex public policy problems, yet it will also confirm your worst fears about governmental dysfunction. The New York metropolitan area abandoned viable options, squandered hundreds of millions of dollars, forfeited more than three billion dollars in federal funds, and missed out on important opportunities. For more than 30 years, New York officials were unable to develop a consensus on a realistic plan to improve transportation conditions in New York's northern suburbs. Planning improvements for a region with more than 22 million people is difficult enough, but several state officials made it even harder when they raised false expectations about government's ability to solve a problem. Three governors preferred to keep studying various alternatives rather than disappointing key constituencies. Faced with the public's unrealistic expectations, it seemed impossible to identify a solution that was both practical and popular. The governors had little to gain from lowering expectations; instead they were trapped by them. One troubling lesson from the I-287 / Tappan Zee Bridge planning process is that leaders who expedite projects often do so by making decisions behind closed doors with little community input. Although everyone supports government transparency and public participation, in reality too much public involvement gets in the way of finalizing plans and constructing megaprojects"-- Résumé de l'éditeur "A behind-the-scenes look at three decades of planning and politics for the new Tappan Zee Bridge reveals essential lessons for those interested in tackling complex public policy problems, yet it will also confirm your worst fears about governmental dysfunction. The New York metropolitan area abandoned viable options, squandered hundreds of millions of dollars, forfeited more than three billion dollars in federal funds, and missed out on important opportunities. For more than 30 years, New York officials were unable to develop a consensus on a realistic plan to improve transportation conditions in New York's northern suburbs. Planning improvements for a region with more than 22 million people is difficult enough, but several state officials made it even harder when they raised false expectations about government's ability to solve a problem. Three governors preferred to keep studying various alternatives rather than disappointing key constituencies. Faced with the public's unrealistic expectations, it seemed impossible to identify a solution that was both practical and popular. The governors had little to gain from lowering expectations; instead they were trapped by them. One troubling lesson from the I-287 / Tappan Zee Bridge planning process is that leaders who expedite projects often do so by making decisions behind closed doors with little community input. Although everyone supports government transparency and public participation, in reality too much public involvement gets in the way of finalizing plans and constructing megaprojects"-- Provided by publisher Politics Across The Hudson Offers A Behind-the-scenes Look At Three Decades Of Contentious Planning For The New Tappan Zee Bridge, Now Named For Governor Mario M. Cuomo, Revealing Valuable Lessons For Those Trying To Tackle Complex Public Policies. Drawing On His Own Extensive Experience In Planning Megaprojects, More Than One Hundred Exclusive Interviews With Key Figures (including Three Governors), And Extensive Research Into Government Records, Philip Plotch Tells The Compelling, Behind-the-scenes Story Of High-stakes Battles Between Powerful Players In The Public, Private, And Civic Sectors.