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Provides funding for 216 projects in 141 communities across New York
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the award of more than $516 million in enhanced assistance for 141 local governments to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts while supporting resiliency and sustainability in every region of the state.
Her team said, “This funding, provided through the state's BRIDGE NY initiative, is aimed at helping local governments across the state harden their existing infrastructure while boosting the resiliency of bridges and culverts in the state. The state's BRIDGE NY initiative supports projects that combat climate change by reducing the risk of flooding, improves the resiliency of structures, facilitates regional economic competitiveness and prioritizes projects that benefit environmental justice communities.”
Hochul said, "New York state is making historic investments to modernize our infrastructure, and we are committed to working with our partners in local government to help ensure that their bridges and culverts are ready to meet the challenges of global climate change. The BRIDGE NY program provides essential funding directly to local governments to enhance the safety, resiliency, sustainability and reliability of local infrastructure, allowing more than 140 bridges to better withstand extreme weather events and keep New Yorkers safe."
The BRIDGE NY awards include: Western New York Region – $68.8 million
Hochul’s team said, “Today's announcement builds upon the more than $716 million that has previously been awarded to local governments under the BRIDGE NY initiative. As part of the state's historic, $32.8 billion capital plan adopted last year, $1 billion was committed to BRIDGE NY, effectively doubling the size of the program.
“The awards announced today were selected based on input from regional and metropolitan planning organizations, and the funding will support all phases of project delivery, including design, right-of-way acquisition and construction.
New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, "New York's infrastructure, especially at the local level, is among the oldest in the country, which makes investments like BRIDGE NY that harden our local infrastructure and invest in resiliency and sustainability so critically important to the Empire State's future. The safety and reliability of our transportation infrastructure is vital to the health and economic well-being of our local communities, and no state is doing more to support them than New York under Gov. Hochul's leadership. The BRIDGE NY funding we are announcing today will provide critically important financial support to local governments to help make our infrastructure more sustainable and our communities stronger."
New York State County Highway Superintendents Association President Kevin Rooney, P.E., said, "Considering that local governments are responsible for the maintenance of 87% of the roads and over half the bridges in the state, BRIDGE NY funding is vital to county highway departments' efforts to maintain, rehabilitate and enhance the resiliency of our vast systems of bridges and culverts on these local roads. Now, thanks to the governor's budget initiatives, the newest five-year transportation capital plan and support from legislative leaders, funding levels for BRIDGE NY have doubled. This will enable counties to address more of these critical infrastructure needs that otherwise would be unfunded or delayed.”
President David Miller said, "On behalf of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, the state's largest transportation association, I'd like to thank Gov. Hochul and NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez for their steadfast support of local infrastructure through the BRIDGE NY program. This program, which is specifically dedicated to local bridges and culverts, is essential for our local governments. New York needs to continue to make investments to build our economy and protect the safety of our traveling public. We look forward to working with our state officials to maintain and increase these investments as we move toward completing the current five-year capital program."
New York State Sen. Tim Kennedy said, "New York's harsh winters and high volume of roadway users take a toll on our infrastructure, and this massive state investment will reinforce the safety of these structures and ensure that connectivity and sustainability remains a priority throughout the transportation corridors in our communities. By proactively supporting this routine maintenance, we're not just strengthening our bridges and culverts, but we're investing in our greater economy and the workforce that relies on this infrastructure daily."