O'Mara, Palmesano, Senate and Assemby colleagues, local highway superintendents and advocates will hold "Local Roads Matter" rally at the Capitol on Wednesday ~ Annual event calls for more state support for locally maintained roads, bridges and culverts

Albany, N.Y., March 8--State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats), Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) and a bipartisan group of state legislators in the Senate and Assembly, together with the state’s county and town highway superintendents and other local leaders, will call on Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders to increase state funding for local roads, bridges and culverts through the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and the creation of a new, four-year “State Aid to Local Bridge and Culvert Program.” 

They will also stress the need for parity in funding for the statewide five-year DOT Capital Plan and the five-year MTA Capital Plan.  They note that under Cuomo’s 2016-17 proposed state budget, the MTA Capital Plan is funded at $26 billion while the DOT Capital Plan is slated to receive $20 billion.

The lawmakers have scheduled a news conference on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 with county and town highway superintendents and officials from the NYS County Highway Superintendents Association, Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Association of Counties, Conference of Mayors, Rebuild NY Now, Association of General Contractors of New York, New York Farm Bureau and the Association of Towns of the State of New York.

Wednesday’s news conference coincides with this week’s “Local Roads Matter” advocacy campaign at the Capitol sponsored by the county and town highway superintendents associations.

Chief among the group’s concerns is the ongoing deterioration of local roads, bridges and culverts. Numerous reports over the past few years have highlighted the decline of New York’s locally maintained transportation infrastructure and its impact on economic development and motorist safety.

            WHEN: Wednesday, March 9, 2016, beginning at 9:30 a.m.  

            WHERE: State Capitol, 2nd Floor, Million Dollar Staircase near the Department of Law, looking out toward the West Capitol Park.

             WHO:    State Senator Tom O’Mara

                          Assemblyman Phil Palmesano

                          State Senate and Assembly Colleagues

                          NYS County Highway Superintendents Association

                          NYS Association of Town Superintendents of Highways

                          NYS Association of Counties

                          New York Conference of Mayors

                          Association of Towns of the State of NY

                         New York Farm Bureau

                         Associated General Contractors of New York

                          Rebuild NY Now

Stop back for more details following Wednesday's "Local Roads Matter" news conference and rally.