Cuomo Bridge builders fire back, defend work and accuse Thruway of refusing to pay debt

The New York State Thruway Authority would rather throw money at lawyers than pay its debts, the consortium that built the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge charged today.

The day after the Thruway Authority sued Tappan Zee Constructors for breach of contract, claiming parts on the Westchester-to-Rockland span need to be retrofitted, the four-company consortium responded.

“The taxes and toll payer monies being used to pay NYSTA’s legal bills would be much better spent on paying NYSTA’s debts and addressing issues with the 9% of structurally deficient bridges that exist in New York State,” Tappan Zee Constructors said in a statement.

The Thruway Authority says 61 of 192 anchor pipes used to connect cables to the bridge’s main span will need to be fixed in the coming months because they’re not up to the contract's standards.

Lawsuit: NYS Thruway Authority sues Cuomo Bridge builder, claiming key parts aren't durable

State officials say that while the issue is not a public safety concern, the pipes are proving not to be as durable as the consortium promised.

Builders defend their work

The consortium of veteran bridge builders — Fluor Enterprises, Inc., American Bridge Company, Granite Construction Northeast, Inc., and Traylor Bros. — defended their work on the $4 billion twin span that opened to traffic in 2017.

“TZC unequivocally stands by the high quality of our work and the caliber of the bridge and deserves to be compensated for this work, so we will continue to pursue our full recovery,” the statement added.

Appeal: Cuomo Bridge contractors appeal to Gov. Hochul for help resolving $1B contract dispute

The billing dispute became public in 2021 when TZC sued the Thruway Authority, claiming it was owed some $960 million. The lawsuit was dropped months later when both sides agreed to enter into a dispute resolution process.

Three years later, the two sides remained hundreds of millions of dollars apart.

In December, an advisory panel said the Thruway owed TZC $101.5 million.

Months later, Thruway Executive Director Frank Hoare said it was TZC that owed the Thruway $15.6 million and another $111.4 million for remedial work. When a contract balance was factored in, the Thruway said it was owed more than $63 million.

Panel sided with TZC

TZC says the Thruway dismissed the recommendations of its own advisory panel.

“… Their position ignores NYSTA’s own non-binding advisory panel recommendation that entitles TZC to significant cost recovery and interest,” the statement added.

The Thruway says TZC has refused to redo the work on the anchor pipes. The lawsuit is seeking at least $6 million in damages.

The builders say they want “a fair and swift resolution” to the dispute.

Utilities: Anger over rates, overcharges fuels push for public takeover of NY utilities. What’s next?

“It is unfortunate that NYSTA does not share our objective and instead chooses to continue to pay lawyers thousands of dollars an hour on a needless lawsuit to recover costs where TZC not only funded a substantial portion of the project to date but delivered an outstanding project that met contract requirements,” the statement adds.

In 2016, prior to the opening, the Thruway Authority spent $1 million on a team of experts to determine why bolts used to secure girders on the new bridge had failed. The experts determined the bridge was safe.

Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA Today Network’s New York State team. He’s won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that’s included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@lohud.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Cuomo Bridge builders fire back, defend work and accuse Thruway of refusing to pay debt