New NYS Thruway Authority director named

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Monday nominated a former state and federal transportation official to be executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority, which operates nearly 600 miles of highway between New York City and Buffalo.

Thomas Madison Jr., 45, was a proponent of using public-private partnerships to finance projects such as renovating or replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge. He served as Gov. George Pataki's state Department of Transportation commissioner from 2005 to 2007.

"Tom's expertise in dealing with major transportation projects and infrastructure management will be an invaluable asset to the Thruway Authority," Cuomo said in a news release. "Our highways are an essential part of New York's infrastructure, and I look forward to working with Tom to make sure the Thruway thrives as one of the state's key economic arteries."

Madison will face a big challenge in finding ways to pay for infrastructure improvements, said Elizabeth Lynam, director of state studies at the Citizens Budget Commission, a fiscal watchdog organization.

"Our infrastructure is not particularly well maintained and it needs a lot of capital work," she said. "The Thruway is supported with tolls and there doesn't seem to be a great political appetite to increase tolls at this time, but that may need to happen."

The Thruway Authority operates the 570-mile highway system as well as the 3.1-mile Tappan Zee Bridge connecting drivers between Rockland and Westchester counties. Replacing the structure built in 1955, an option being considered, would cost an estimated $16 billion under a plan released in 2008 by former Gov. David A. Paterson.

Madison, whose appointment requires State Senate confirmation, is currently director of transportation policy at STV Inc., a design and construction management firm based in Pennsylvania. He also served as a federal highway administrator at the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2008 to 2009.