What’s Next for New York State DOT?

by Ben Fried

glynn.jpgState DOT Commissioner Astrid Glynn
On Monday, state DOT Commissioner Astrid Glynn tendered her resignation, leaving the agency's top job during a critical period for statewide transportation policy. Governor Paterson engineered Glynn's departure, according to the Daily News, following her three-week vacation to Borneo that came while DOT is still deciding how to spend its pot of federal stimulus cash. With state politicians also discussing solutions for the MTA budget crisis in tandem with funding for the state's road and bridge program, crucial decisions will take shape without an established leader at the helm of the transportation agency.

"It comes at a tough time," Neysa Pranger of the Regional Plan Association said of Glynn's departure. "It complicates things if there's a leadership change at the head of DOT."

Progressive transportation advocates credit Glynn, who was appointed by Eliot Spitzer in 2007, with introducing a gradual shift in culture at the state DOT. "She didn't start whipping everyone into shape immediately," said Tri-State Transportation Campaign director Kate Slevin. "She took a more measured approach."

One of the more noticeable changes transpired at DOT's District 10 office, which covers Nassau and Suffolk counties. "Before Glynn took over, we would fight every single road project," said Eric Alexander, director of the smart growth organization Vision Long Island. "Communities would say, 'We don't want your transportation money, take your checks back.'"

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