Major NYC construction projects can now be streamlined

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Cuomo signs “design-build” bill

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill this week that will allow New York officials to fast-track the contracting process on public projects. The governor authorized a handful of city agencies to use the “design-build” method, which combines project design and construction contracts to cut through red tape and save dollars.

Good government group the Citizens Budget Commission projects the change could save the city up to $2 billion in 10 years by using design-build for bridge work alone.

“Design Build means less red tape and more new-and-improved libraries, roads, and bridges,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the bill’s passage.

The new law applies to any project with a $10 million price tag, and requires a project labor agreement to set wage and other standards. The city says it has already identified 49 projects that could benefit from the method and save the city up to $300 million.

The state used the design-build model to build projects such as the $4 billion Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. New York City is currently using the method for a handful of major projects, including the $8.7 billion borough-based jail plan to replace Rikers Island.

And in other news…

• Meet the native New Yorkers who do the whole “ball drop in Times Square” thing on New Year’s Eve.
• The Department of Buildings found that 220 buildings across the city have Class 1 violations—the most serious or dangerous sort—during surprise inspections, prompted by the December death of a woman struck by falling debris.
• The Times looks at the uptick in pedestrian deaths in 2019, and what the city is doing to curb this problem going into 2020 and beyond.
• NYCT president Andy Byford is apparently okay with being Train Daddy.
• Another day, another absurdly pricey closed sale at 220 Central Park South.
• New York City lost more than 76,000 residents in the past year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the most of any city in the country.
• And finally, choose your answer to this question wisely: