Ritchie: Central and Northern New York to Benefit From More than $179 Million in Support for Improvements to Roads and Bridges

State Senator Patty Ritchie has announced that roads and bridges throughout Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Oswego Counties will benefit from more than $179 million in state funding for infrastructure additions and enhancements that will make travel safer and more efficient, as well as help to create jobs and boost the region’s economy.

Funding and projects announced today are part of a plan that for the first time in over a decade provides fair and balanced multi-year transportation capital programs for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the downstate transit.  Under the Governor’s original plan, infrastructure spending was weighted to benefit New York City and downstate counties.  Senator Ritchie and her colleagues fought for a more balanced plan—totaling $27.1 billion—that meets Upstate needs as well.

“Not only are our roads and bridges important to ensuring that individuals and families are able to travel to their destinations safely, they also play a key role when it comes to bolstering our economy, as a strong transportation network is key to the movement of goods,” said Senator Ritchie, who serves as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee.

“I was proud to support this transportation plan and look forward to seeing how these improvements help to enhance safety, help to create construction jobs and bolster our overall economy.”

Included in the plan is over $1 billion in funding over five years for the paving, rehabilitation and maintaining of roadways through the “PAVE NY” program and repairs to local bridges via the “BRIDGE NY” program, which will provide funding for repairs to bridges across the state.  PAVE NY will be distributed by county, and as a result of the advocacy of Senate Republicans, BRIDGE NY program funds are being distributed with strong local input.

Key projects receiving funding in the region represented by Senator Ritchie include:

Jefferson County

Factory Street in Watertown ($7.5 million)

Route 26 Fort Drum Airport Overpass ($14.34 million)

Route 3 Arsenal Street Bridge ($12.01 million)

Oswego County

Route 104 improvements from Southwest Oswego to Oswego ($18.39 million)

Route 481 improvements from Onondaga County to the Fulton South City Line ($7.28)

Route 481 intersection improvements from Churchill Road to County Route 5 ($2.58)

St. Lawrence County

Route 11 bridge improvements ($11.30 million)

Route 58 improvements ($3.35 million)

Route 37 bridge improvements ($3.73)

A full list of projects receiving funding can be viewed by clicking the PDF file at the top of this webpage.