With a looming April 1st state budget deadline, upstate New York officials are calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to increase funding to repair and maintain local roads.
Highway superintendents from across the state were joined Thursday by state GOP officials at the Warren County Public Works facility in Queensbury. They’re calling for an increase in funding to the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program, or CHIPS.
CHIPS provides funds to local governments to repair local roads. The program received nearly $600 million in 2024’s budget, and currently CHIPS funding is proposed to stay level.
New York State County Highway Superintendents Association President and Warren County Superintendent of Public Works that’s unacceptable.
“There’s 112,000 miles of roads in New York state. The locals, us, take care of 97,000 miles of those 112,000. 87% of the roads that locals take care of. So, for the governor to give DOT $800 million for their core program, I applaud it, but it’s not enough. We need the money for the locals to be able to do our work,” said Hajos.
Assemblyman Robert Smullen represents the 118th district including portions of the Mohawk Valley and Adirondacks. He says an increase in funding is a matter of rural equity.
“You know the money we’re talking about here whether it’s $800 million or it’s increasing it by $250 million to a number that would keep up with inflation over the past 10 years, it’s dwarfed by the $5 billion that goes to the subway system and the bus system in New York City. 5-to-1. $5 for them for every $1 for us,” said Smullen.
Republican Dan Stec represents the state’s 45th Senate district. He noted that the requested increase is just a fraction of the governor’s proposed $252 billion budget.
“You couldn’t get any more of a fairer way to divvy out tax dollars than a proportional fraction of how many miles you’re taking care of and that’s the beautiful thing about the CHIPS formula. Now, all we have to do is decide how big that pie is going to be. How much do we value our roads, where are we prioritizing our roads versus illegal migrants or this social program or that art program. I mean, there’s value in all of it but something that effects every single one of us is the quality of the transportation infrastructure,” said Stec.
Stec is one of a handful of names hoping to be the Republican candidate in a special election to fill Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s congressional 21st House seat once she begins her role as President Donald Trump’s United Nations ambassador.
Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh of the 112th district says an increase in CHIPS program funding is a no-brainer.
“We know that you guys, and women, do the very best that you can to stretch the money as well as you can. But I came up out of local government too and I know if the money’s not there you have to make choices. You’re not going to be able to pave that extra 5 mile sof road or whatever. And over time, if we don’t make appropriate investments, and I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but if you don’t make appropriate investments, you just keep falling behind. And we just can’t allow that to happen,” said Walsh.
A spokesperson for Hochul said she has made transformative investments in infrastructure across the state and in the weeks ahead plans on “working with the legislature to pass much-needed infrastructure funding, so the state can continue the work necessary to keep New Yorkers safe on our roads and bridges.”
If the increase is approved, the total New York State Department of Transportation funds for local transportation infrastructure would total more than $1.8 billion in funding.