(rshsdepot) Albany (NY)

[Jim Dent <jdent_@_erols.com>]

>From the Albany (NY) Times-Union...

Funds to aid CDTA station
Albany -- State DOT to help as project's cost goes from $35M to $60M

The state Department of Transportation is stepping in to pay for some final
stages of the new Rensselaer train station, helping the Capital District
Transportation Authority cover some of the cost overruns that have drawn
sharp criticism from public officials.

"At the present time, that gap looks like it is being closed,'' Wayne Pratt,
CDTA board member and chairman of the operations committee that has overseen
the station, said of the hole in the project's budget.

Logistical hurdles have plagued the station's construction, including
changes in roofing and electrical contractors, costly track work and the
unexpected need to earthquake-proof the parking garage. The budget has risen
-From $35 million in 1998 to current estimates of more than $60 million.

While the CDTA may have enough funding to cover the roughly $53 million
needed to open the station next summer, the authority still is searching for
ways to pay for "phase three,'' which will build a bypass track for freight
traffic moving past the station and push the total project cost to more than
$60 million.

CDTA officials indicated last month that they would ask state Sen. Joseph L.
Bruno to help close the funding gap. But after Bruno harshly criticized the
authority for repeated cost overruns, CDTA officials declined to ask for
money, spokesmen for CDTA and Bruno said.

Instead, the state DOT recently offered to provide about $1 million for the
bypass phase of the project, which will dovetail with the DOT's plans for
track work on the western side of the river between Albany and Schenectady,
DOT spokesman Michael Fleischer said.

Fleischer said the CDTA would still be the manager of bypass project.

The Albany/Rensselaer station is the nation's 13th busiest; more than
600,000 passengers passed through last year. The new station is nearly
completed, painters have begun work on the interior and it should be open to
the public next June, Pratt said.

The three-year construction project has not always been smooth. Earlier this
year, the electrical contractor, Dwight Electric of Albany, filed for
bankruptcy protection, and work was delayed for several weeks while the CDTA
found a replacement, T & J Electric of Troy, a CDTA spokesman said.

It was the second time a major contractor had to be replaced. Last year,
claiming faulty work, CDTA severed a contract with roofing contractor
Moisture Barriers Inc. of Altamont, replacing it with Weather Guard of
Colonie.

"All these delays hold up other contractors up the line,'' Pratt said. "The
contractors might say 'Hey, it's not my fault my people are just sitting
there -- I am going to back-charge you.' ''

Last year, CDTA also had to spend an extra $3 million to reinforce the
parking deck in case of an earthquake -- in accordance with federal
regulations.

Track work related to the project also has been more costly than initially
expected. Some stretches of track had to be ripped up and moved just a few
feet to make room for platforms for waiting passengers.

The CDTA has secured between $41 million and $47 million for the rail
station, and the governor has included $10 million for the project in his
budget proposal, which still is being debated at the Capitol.

While the project's budget has grown more than nearly anyone initially
anticipated, some surprises could have been expected, Pratt said.

"As you go along with a project this size, there are always going to be
things that are not what you thought they were going to be,'' Pratt said.

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