SERINO JOINS PUSH FOR FUNDING FOR LOCAL ROADS

ALBANY, NY—Senator Sue Serino (R, C, I—Hyde Park) today joined a group of county and town highway superintendents and local leaders from across the state at a press conference in Albany to call for an increase in funding to help drastically improve the quality of local roads and bridges.

“Investing in our local infrastructure paves the way for increased safety and economic development opportunities,” said Senator Serino. “It’s a smart investment that will pay off in the long run for communities across the state, and I urge my colleagues in both houses to make it a real priority this year.”

Senator Serino has made increasing funding for infrastructure a cornerstone of her time in Albany, actively fighting for the cause since she took office in 2015. Today’s press conference once again highlighted the need to make a significant investment in the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), which provides localities with critical funding to effectively maintain their local roads, bridges and culverts.

Legislative leaders at the press conference urged their colleagues to invest in a multi-year strategy to address these local infrastructure needs, specifically requesting a $150 million increase to the CHIPS based aid program and an additional $50 million annual commitment to the local portion of the BRIDGE-NY program to help move criterial projects forward.

With local governments responsible for maintaining nearly 87 percent of New York’s roads, these funding streams are especially important as they allow localities the flexibility they need to meet their community’s unique infrastructure needs.

“If we have said it once, we’ve said it a million times—local roads matter,” Serino continued. “Because their quality directly impacts each and every New Yorker, it is time we make them a top priority.”

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