New Weight Limits on Throgs Neck Bridge Frustrate New York Companies
New York, NY —
Concrete producers for Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium and several Manhattan high rises are fighting the new weight limits imposed on the Throgs Neck Bridge after inspections showed cracks and signs of wear and tear.
REPORTER: Carmine Valente, the president of Jenna Concrete, says new 80-thousand pound limit was a knee-jerk reaction to the bridge collapse in Minneapolis and should have been phased in over time.
VALENTE:It's the changing of the rules midstream that create this harsh economic impact. And if they lower the truck limits to 80,000 then maybe people would use more alternatives such as rail or water to move the materials because then you start comparing the economies. He says the construction industry needs time to make shift to other modes of transport.
REPORTER: Valente says he's paying $35,000 more a week for sand, an ingredient of concrete, because of increased transportation costs. The Construction Trucking Association is suing the MTA, and a hearing is scheduled tomorrow. A spokesperson for Governor Spitzer says safety is the state's number one concern.
