Citizens Budget Commission's Tammy Gamerman on the state budget

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has rolled out an ambitious slate of public infrastructure projects over the past few weeks, but budget experts say it's not at all clear how the estimated $100 billion price tag will be covered. 

"The reality is, most of these projects will not be funded through the state budget," Tammy Gamerman, a senior research associate at the Citizens Budget Commission, said in a New York Twenty4 interview. "The state budget itself did not provide many details on how these projects will actually get done."

Among the high-profile proposals the governor unveiled in the days leading up to this State of the State address earlier this month are several major upgrades or overhauls, including at Penn Station, the Javits Center and on the Long Island Rail Road, which come in addition to major infrastructure commitments, including the new Tappan Zee Bridge and the five-year capital plan for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 

Gamerman noted that some of the projects will be completed by other authorities, like the Port Authority, the Thruway Authority and the MTA, and would eventually show up in those budgets. She called the governor's plan "ambitious" and said it would start a conversation, but that the state now needs to have a conversation about which projects to prioritize.

"Will all of these projects happen? No," she said. "Maybe a couple will. I know the governor has had success in moving the new Tappan Zee Bridge forward. ... As we get further down the road, there has to be real conversations about how do you pay for these things and what are our needs and which projects should we be prioritizing over others."