Rising Liability Premiums Renewing Call for Changes to Scaffold Law

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefBusiness groups are once again pressing the New York state Legislature to make a change to the state's 128-year-old "scaffold law" after a trade group reported that the liability created by the statute will add up to $400 million to the cost of replacing a New York City area bridge.The Associated General Contractors of New York is predicting liability insurance costs will boost the cost of replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge, which spans the Hudson River 25 miles north of Manhattan, by between $200 million and $400 million.New York contractors and busin...