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Republican leaders in the state Assembly are asking the Department of Transportation to provide updated cost figures for state highway projects.
The request comes a day after a scathing state audit was released that shows the cost of several major projects was greatly underestimated, with price tags on 16 projects climbing by almost $3 billion above what the DOT said they would cost. It seeks information on current and upcoming projects, along with those completed since 2010.
Lawmakers are preparing for a budget that will require them to deal with a $1 billion shortfall in the state’s transportation fund – an amount some lawmakers now fear may actually be much larger. “Taxpayers deserve to know how much a road is going to cost before it’s built,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester). “Unfortunately, these miscalculations will probably confirm what many of us fear; our transportation fund is deeper in the red than we thought.”
Lawmakers are asking DOT Secretary Dave Ross to provide the information to the Legislature by March 15.