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NYSDOT Commissioner: Crews did an incredible job after the flood

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In a recent op/ed in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, NYSDOT Thomas J. Madison, Jr. wrote about the work that construction crews performed replacing the collapsed section of Interstate 88 in Unadilla.

He wrote that DOT crews and outside contractors worked 24/7 to repair and then open the highway. He mentioned that some of the crews went to work immediately even while their own families and property were affected by the rain and floodwaters.

He writes:

Work on I-88 and other parts of the state has been performed safely, expeditiously and expertly. In many cases, projects that would normally take a year or more to complete were finished within a few months under adverse and sometimes dangerous conditions.

This commitment demonstrates why New York state's highways are among the safest and best in the United States.

To read the entire opinion, please go here.

Commentary:

There's no doubt that the repairs to Interstate 88 and other highways damaged by the floods were done in a expedient fashion. Hopefully, these repairs were not stopgap and included some modernization of the bridges, embankments, or highway. Time will tell how sound these repairs actually are.

Finally, this editorial will be very difficult to read to the family and friends of the two truck drivers lost on I-88 that fateful June morning. In their eyes, this same 'incredible' work could have easily been done before the collapse of the culvert that ultimately lead to both driver's deaths. Knowing that the deficinies in the culvert were known to the DOT before the collapse, do you blame the families for feeling that way?
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank Adam for posting that, I somehow missed it. While I am sure that they did an incredible job and should be commended for it, isnt it a bit too late. thank you for your commentary, it is still very difficult for my husband and I and the Swingle family our lives have been changed forever and something we will never forget.
9:06 PM
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