Borelli Stands With Fellow Legislators To Spearhead Greater CHIPs Funding

March 6, 2013

Assemblyman Joe Borelli (R,C,I-South Shore) stood with a bi-partisan coalition of several lawmakers in the Assembly and Senate to call on the governor and Department of Transportation (DOT) to allocate greater funding through the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPs) directly to municipalities for infrastructure improvement. The lawmakers held a press conference this morning with several officials from the NYS County Highway Superintendents Association (NYSCHSA), NYS Association of Town Superintendents of Highways (NYSAOTSOH), NYS Association of Counties (NYSAC), New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) and the Association of Towns of the State of New York to seek action.

“The state is suffering from major infrastructure problems and our municipalities are suffering the worst of this,” said Borelli. “The costs to repair roads, bridges and culverts have skyrocketed, with asphalt costs rising 206 percent and material costs going up 57 percent in the last 10 years. However, for the last five years, funding to CHIPs hasn’t gone up one penny to offset the higher costs. Improved infrastructure will play a huge role in improving our economy. The governor already has allotted $300 million to NY Works in his proposed budget; we’re asking that $100 million of that goes to CHIPs for our local roads and bridges. I hope we can provide this much-needed funding to our localities.”

The governor has proposed $363.1 million in CHIPs funding in his proposed 2013-14 State Budget, the same level as last year. The legislators and local highway superintendents are calling for a CHIPs funding increase of $100 million, from $363.1 million to $463.1 million. They note that local roads and bridges account for 87 percent of the roads, 52 percent of the bridges, and 48 percent of the vehicle mileage logged in New York State, yet, fewer than 12 percent of road maintenance fees go to local upkeep.

Chief among the lawmakers’ concerns is the ailing state of roads, bridges and culverts, and the harsh impact this is having on economic development. According to a recent report from the state comptroller’s office, 32 percent of bridges are deficient and 40 percent of roads are rated fair or poor and getting worse. The lawmakers say the problem is much worse for local roads.

William Weller, Highway Superintendent for the Town of Florida (Montgomery County) and President of the NYS Association of Town Highway Superintendents of Highways (NYSAOTSOH), said, "On behalf of our organization's more than 900 elected and appointed transportation professionals, who maintain over half of the state's roads, we strongly support efforts to increase local highway funding."

Stephen J. Acquario, Executive Director of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), said, “Increased CHIPs funding is one of the best investments we can make in New York. It will help stimulate the economy by creating new jobs, shore up our critical local highway infrastructure that is used for transporting kids to school, parents to work and home, and goods to retailers and manufacturing facilities across the State. Crumbling roads and bridges reflect neglect, while an increased investment into our local infrastructure reflects a strong commitment to a more prosperous future.”

Lori Mithen-DeMasi, Counsel to the Association of Towns of the State of New York, said, “New York cannot expect to grow its economy without quality roads and bridges. Towns rely on CHIPs and Marchiselli funding to maintain and improve local roads. While we are grateful that the Executive Budget seeks to maintain these programs at last year’s level (CHIPs - $363.1 million, Marchiselli - $39.7 million), the state could further its goals of stabilizing property taxes and growing our economy by increasing these funding programs in the 2013-2014 enacted state budget.”

Peter A. Baynes, Executive Director of the New York State Conference of Mayors (NYCOM), said, "Over the past two years, Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature have wisely increased the State's fiscal commitment to New York's road and highway infrastructure. Unfortunately, local roads and bridges have not benefitted from this additional state funding. NYCOM, therefore, strongly supports a significant increase in New York's CHIPs program, which will allow local officials and their constituents to determine the necessary investments in local roads and bridges.”

A copy of the letter sent to the governor has been attached with this release.

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