Governor Hochul Announces More Than $216 Million in "Bridge NY' Funding to Rehabilitate and Replace Local Bridges and Culverts

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the award of $216.2 million in enhanced assistance for 88 local governments to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts in every region of the State. This funding, provided through the State's BRIDGE NY initiative, supports projects that reduce the risk of flooding, improve resiliency of structures, facilitate regional economic competitiveness and prioritize projects that benefit environmental justice communities.

"The 'BRIDGE NY' program provides essential funding to enhance the safety, resiliency and reliability of critical municipally-owned infrastructure," Governor Hochul said. "We must continue to make these strategic investments in our local communities to protect our residents from the increased frequency of extreme weather events, as well as to provide New Yorkers with the modernized and streamlined infrastructure they deserve."

Today's announcement builds upon the nearly $500 million previously awarded to local governments under this initiative to enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses in every region of the State. The "BRIDGE NY" awards were made through a competitive solicitation process and will support all phases of project delivery, including design, right-of-way acquisition and construction. Projects were selected based on criteria that included the structural condition and susceptibility of the bridge or culvert to flooding and/or scour; the significance of the bridge or culvert based on detour considerations and the number and types of businesses served; benefits of the corridor on Environmental Justice Communities; and the overall impact on the movement of commerce.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, "Governor Hochul recognizes the importance of investing in our State's communities and transportation infrastructure as being fundamental to our State's longer-term environmental and economic sustainability. The funding announced today is providing the support to make our local communities stronger, our infrastructure more resilient and our State more equipped to mitigate the impacts of climate change."

NYSAOTSOH President, Richard Benjamin, Superintendents of Highways, Town of Thompson said, "On behalf of the NYS Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, the state's largest transportation association, I'd like to thank Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie for their steadfast support of local infrastructure through the BRIDGE-NY program. This program which is specifically dedicated to local bridges and culverts is essential for our local governments. New York needs to continue to make investments to build our economy and protect the safety of our traveling public. We look forward to working with our state elected officials to maintain and increase these investments as we look toward the next five-year capital program."

Joseph Wisinski, President of the New York State County Highway Superintendents Association, said, "Since its inception, BRIDGE-NY has been a tremendous boost to county highway departments' efforts to maintain, rehabilitate and enhance the resiliency of our vast systems of bridges and culverts. Local governments are responsible for the maintenance of 87% of the roads and over half the bridges in the state. BRIDGE-NY has enabled counties to address these critical infrastructure needs that otherwise would have to be delayed. By attending to the rehabilitation and reconstruction requirements of more bridges and culverts now, the work is less costly and at a significant savings for taxpayers. We commend Commissioner Dominguez and Governor Kathy Hochul for their partnership and strong support of state funding for local road and bridge programs for the benefit and safety of the traveling public."

The "BRIDGE NY" program is administered by the New York State Department of Transportation and part of the State's sustained efforts to enhance investments in local roads, bridges and other vital transportation infrastructure across New York State. A full list of awarded of the projects by region is available here.

Senator Timothy M. Kennedy said, "The state legislature provided historic levels of funding in this year's budget for New York's infrastructure, delivering a monumental investment in our roads. This announcement by Governor Hochul builds on that momentum, and prepares our state's bridges for future rehabilitation as we await critical dollars from the federal Infrastructure bill."

Assemblyman William B. Magnarelli said, "Our communities rely on our transportation networks every day to get them where they need to go. Investing in protecting our bridges reinforces New York State's commitment to protecting and enhancing our statewide infrastructure."