Higgins: $257 million+ to improve & advance clean and efficient transportation in NYS

Funding provided through new carbon reduction program included in ‘Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’

Congressman Brian Higgins announced New York will receive $257,806,980 in federal funding over the next five years through a new carbon reduction program, included in the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” and designed to reduce transportation emissions.

Higgins said, “Infrastructure investments shouldn’t just be limited to curbs and asphalt. We need to take a holistic look at the way we connect people and places to strengthen businesses districts, improve neighborhoods, make travel safer and more efficient, support multimodal transportation, and protect the environment. There are many opportunities to use this funding for those purposes across Western New York.”

A total of $6.4 billion is allocated for the carbon reduction program nationwide. The funding could be used in a variety of ways that can help to ease congestion and reduce carbon pollution. Examples of eligible uses include traffic flow improvements and technology, pedestrian/bicycle trails, public transit, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Higgins has been an advocate for improved signal synchronization on local streets. Earlier this year, he joined others in the release of visuals showing the changes possible with investments that embrace many of these principles through the transformation of Tifft and Louisiana streets into waterfront parkways.

The Federal Highway Administration encourages the use of federal infrastructure funding to advance “complete streets” projects that better consider the needs of all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, people with disabilities, as well as personal and commercial vehicles. Complete streets work could include transportation components such as accessible wide sidewalks, bike lanes, roundabouts, and safe crossing technology or infrastructure.