New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced $483 million to be allocated to the BRIDGE NY initiative to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts across the state.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will work through local planning organizations to allocate the funding to towns, villages, and other governmental entities in every region of the state to help them harden their existing infrastructure and improve resiliency against severe weather events.
The state’s BRIDGE NY initiative supports projects that combat climate change by reducing the risk of flooding, improves the resiliency of structures, facilitates regional economic competitiveness, and prioritizes projects that benefit environmental justice communities.
“New York is already feeling the effects of climate change with ever-more frequent severe weather events that just this year have washed out several key bridges and roadways in our state,” Governor Hochul said in a statement. “The investments we are making through the ‘BRIDGE NY' program will help local governments enhance the safety, resiliency, sustainability, and reliability of their infrastructure, increasing the ability of our bridges to withstand extreme weather events and keep New Yorkers on the move.”
Today's announcement builds upon the approximately $1.2 billion that has previously been provided to local governments under the BRIDGE NY initiative over the past several years. As part of the state’s historic $32.8 billion capital plan adopted last year, an additional $1 billion was committed to BRIDGE NY, effectively doubling the size of the program.
NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Governor Hochul is making critically important investments in infrastructure that will strengthen our local communities and help us combat the devastating impacts of climate change. By helping local governments strengthen their bridges and culverts, we can make roadways more resilient and ready to withstand whatever Mother Nature brings – especially extreme weather events.”
Senator Chuck Schumer said, “The Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law is helping bridge the gap on long overdue infrastructure projects across the Empire State. This over $400 million in BRIDGE NY funding will not only make bridges and culverts across the state safer and more secure during extreme weather events, but it will also boost the economic well-being of our local communities, and I commend Governor Hochul for her efforts to put New York’s transportation infrastructure on the road to a more resilient and ecofriendly future.”
Representative Pat Ryan said, “After the devastating floods earlier this year, it is more important than ever that we invest in sustainable and resilient infrastructure across the Hudson Valley. The BRIDGE NY initiative has already helped us modernize roads and bridges across NY-18. I am committed to helping Hudson Valley communities secure these investments, creating high-paying, quality jobs and strengthening our climate resiliency to keep the Hudson Valley thriving for generations to come.”
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Source: The New York State Department of Transportation
