BRIDGE-NY funding awarded for local projects: O’Mara and Palmesano say state must keep taking steps to better support local infrastructure

Elmira, N.Y., November 14—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I- Big Flats) and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) welcomed today’s announcement that numerous local bridge and culvert improvement projects in Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins and Yates counties are being awarded state aid through the latest round funding through the state’s BRIDGE-NY program.

O’Mara and Palmesano played an instrumental role in creating the new BRIDGE-NY program as part of the 2016-2017 state budget.  The aid helps localities across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions, and statewide, undertake bridge and culvert rehabilitation and replacement projects.

In a joint statement, O’Mara and Palmesano said, “BRIDGE-NY has been an important addition to the increased state support for local transportation infrastructure.  We must continue to take important steps to establish stronger state support for local roads, bridges and culverts in critical need of rehabilitation and replacement.  The state’s recognition over the past several years of the importance of local transportation infrastructure and parity in statewide transportation funding will continue making a significant difference for our local governments, local economies, local property taxpayers, and motorist safety locally and statewide.  We will continue working with Governor Cuomo, our legislative colleagues, and local highway superintendents and leaders across this region and state on this vitally important challenge and priority. Every additional dollar of state support means a dollar less that our local property taxpayers have to pay.  We need to keep making these investments in economic growth and job creation throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions, and all across New York.”

O’Mara and Palmesano said that the following regional projects are included under the BRIDGE-NY funding announced earlier today in Albany:

> $468,000 to Chemung County for Wyncoop Creek Road (CR 3) over Tributary of Wyncoop Creek;
> $3.158 million to Chemung County for Pennsylvania Ave (CR 69) over Seeley Creek;
> $2.121 million to Chemung County for Pennsylvania Ave (CR 69) over Bird Creek;
> $550,000 to the City of Elmira (Chemung County) for Industrial Park Blvd over Badger Creek;
> $5 million to the City of Elmira (Chemung County) for Main Street over Chemung River;
> $398,000 to the Schuyler County Soil and Water Conservation District for Sexton Hollow Road over Tributary to Meads Creek;
> $4.481 million to Steuben County for County Road 115 over Canisteo River;
> $2.064 million to the City of Ithaca (Tompkins County) for Celcil A Malone Drive over Flood Relief Channel;
> $262,000 to the Town of Caroline (Tompkins County) for Ekroos Road over Boyer Creek;
> $186,000 to the Town of Danby (Tompkins County) for Bruce Hill Road over Buttermilk Creek;
> $139,000 to the Town of Danby (Tompkins County) for Gunderman Road over Buttermilk Creek;
> $187,000 to the Town of Danby (Tompkins County) for West Jersey Hill Road over Buttermilk Creek;
> $933,000 to the Town of Ulysses (Tompkins County) for Cemetary Road over Trumansburg Creek;
> $1.147 million to Tompkins County for Central Chapel Road over Boice Creek;
> $1.935 million to Tompkins County for County Road 109 over Fall Creek;
> $436,000 to Tompkins County for Peruville Road (CR 107) over Owasco Inlet;
> $290,000 to Tompkins County for Ellis Hollow Road (CR 110) over Six-Mile Creek Tributary;
> $939,000 to Tompkins County for Valley Road (CR 115) over Six-Mile Creek Tributary;
> $500,000 to Tompkins County for Coddington Road (CR 119) over Six-Mile Creek Tributary;
> $399,000 to Tompkins County for Pine Tree Road (CR 174) over Six-Mile Creek Tributary;
> $497,000 to Tompkins County for Conlon Road (CR 186) over Salmon Creek Tributary; and
> $869,000 to Yates County for East Sherman Holl over Sugar Creek.

Palmesano, whose 132nd Assembly District also includes a part of Seneca County, said that Seneca County is receiving $559,000 for Lodi Point Road (CR 136) over Tributary to Seneca Lake.

BRIDGE-NY funding is available to all municipalities authorized to receive and administer state and federal transportation funding. A competitive process is utilized to distribute the awards, which will support all phases of project development including design, right-of-way and construction. Evaluations are based on the resiliency of the structure, the current bridge and culvert structural conditions, and the significance and importance of the bridge based on traffic volumes, detour considerations, the number and types of businesses served and the overall impact on commerce.

O’Mara and Palmesano have collaborated with local highway superintendents and other local officials from throughout New York over the past several years to lead the fight in the Legislature for fairer and stronger state support for local transportation infrastructure, including bridges and culverts.  The “Local Roads Matter” campaign has been a growing bipartisan effort since 2013. 

Earlier this year, O’Mara and Palmesano organized a bipartisan group of 142 senators and members of the Assembly, nearly 70% of the entire Legislature, who joined county and town highway superintendents and work crews, and other local leaders from throughout the state to call for support for local roads and bridges.  The 2018-19 budget provides $438 million in base funding for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS).  The Legislature also restored a $65-million “Extreme Winter Recovery” allocation and the budget includes $100 million of PAVE-NY funding for local roads distributed through the CHIPS funding formula. 

As a result, regional counties, cities, towns and villages have received significant increases in state funding for local infrastructure through the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and the BRIDGE-NY and PAVE-NY programs.  In their own legislative districts, for example, O’Mara and Palmesano said that aid percentage increases since 2012-13 have ranged from 50% to 55%.

Local roads and bridges account for 87% of the roads, 52% of the bridges, and 48% of the vehicle mileage logged in New York State.