Ritchie: State Budget Includes $2 Million in Winter Storm Relief for Central and Northern New York Highways

Extra Funding is in Addition to a Record $20 Million in State Aid for Local Highways

State Senator Patty Ritchie has announced that the new state spending plan includes extra aid for local highway departments that have had their budgets affected by this winter's severe weather. 

Contained in the new State Budget is an extra $2 million in aid for municipalities in the Central and Northern New York regions Senator Ritchie represents.  The support is part $40 million in special, onetime funding allocated for local highway departments having to deal with the aftermath of a particularly brutal winter. 

“This year, the ice, snow and cold hammered Upstate New York, placing a heavy burden on highway departments having to deal with an increased amount of weather-related cleanup and damages,” said Senator Ritchie.

“Earlier this year, I met with more than four dozen local highway officials from our region who requested extra help for critical maintenance and repair projects that would provide relief to local budgets—and to local taxpayers.  I’m pleased that this year’s State Budget recognizes the unique challenges presented by our most recent winter by including extra aid for municipalities trying to make ends meet.”

The State Budget also includes major support for transportation projects as well as local road and bridge repairs and upgrades, including:

·         A second year of record CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program) funding totaling $438 million for important local highway, road and bridge repair projects; and

·         Support for the second year of the two-year $3.7 billion State DOT transportation capital plan which will be used to improve roads, bridges, rail, aviation and transit.

To view a full breakdown of local highway aid and additional winter storm relief funding contained in the new State Budget, click here.