Milo E. Riverso, Ph.D., P.E., CCM, is chairman of the New York Building Congress (NYBC). Riverso was installed as chairman during the Building Congress’ Annual Membership Meeting, held on January 25th.
Mr. Riverso is president and chief executive officer of STV Group, Inc. He has more than 30 years of experience in the fields of program management, construction management and general construction. Earlier in his career, Mr. Riverso served as the president and chief executive officer of the New York City School Construction Authority. In that position he supervised the agency’s staff of 900 employees who were responsible for the planning, design and construction of capital improvements and new construction of New York City’s 1,199 public schools.
The Right Way to Win Infra Funding
[Congressman] Shuster, when he was in Pennsylvania, used to advise us that when you go to Washington and you’re asking for dollars for infrastructure, it seems a little self-serving when the professionals who are designing the infrastructure are asking for it. He says it’s always better if you get the business owners who are trying to build their businesses, whether it could be truck drivers and transporters, to go and advocate for the infrastructure improvements because they are the ones who suffer when a bridge is taken out of service because it no longer meets code or can no longer sustain the weight rolling over it.
Recent Strain on New York Transportation Systems
For the last 35 years, I left my house at 6:15 to get to work. I used to get to work and be at my desk by a quarter to seven. For the last two or three years, the traffic has gotten so dense that I’m lucky if I can get to my desk at 7:30 when I leave at the same time. To a degree, that’s the city doing well. To a degree, it’s modifications in transportation. The oncoming of Lyft and Uber. What that does is it stresses our infrastructure systems.
Time to Fund the NYC Subway Action Plan
The subway system is one of the wonders of the world in New York City. It’s a large system, and it’s time that we make the investments to take us into the next century. Replacement of the old subway cars with newer, more reliable ones; the installation of new technology signals to increase the number of trains that can be run. We’ve gone through periods of expansion in the subway system. We’ve gone through periods of investing in the maintenance of the subway systems but we’re at the point where we have to do both.
The MTA Dream Team Needs Funding to Perform
I think we’re at a time where there’s been a lot of investment in the new leadership of the transit authority as a whole. It’s a very strong and powerful team. It was assembled with people who have been very, very successful in other roles. With this leadership, I really think the government needs to invest their dollars so that this team can perform. I’ve never seen such a strong team assembled in one agency all at once. They’ll be able to drive the efficiencies and the productivity downwards, but we have to give the money as a tool to do what they need to do.
New York Building Congress: Infrastructure is Investment
The New York Building Congress really believes in the investment in infrastructure. We don’t look at infrastructure as being an expense. We look at it as being an investment because of the impact it has on regional development, on businesses, on people’s lives, going to work, living within a certain commuting distance or in the city. When we talk about infrastructure, we’re talking about everything from water to energy and electricity, to schools, hospitals, bridges, tunnels, subways, trains. All the things that produce a thriving economy.
Download full transcript (PDF): Milo Riverso interview on The Infra Blog
Tags: Guest on The Infra blog, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Milo Riverso, Milo Riverso on The Infra Blog, MTA, New York, New York Building Congress, New York City, NY, NYBC, NYC, Subway
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