“I travel our district from north to south, and I see the condition of the roads you travel every day. Age and the harsh weather conditions we experience in the Northeast continue to deteriorate the quality of our local roads and bridges. Solid infrastructure is the heart of a good economy. The building and updating of our infrastructure creates jobs, while allowing goods and services to get from A-to-B. You travel these roads to get your family to work, school and everywhere else that is important to you. I am calling for a significant increase – $150 million – in funding to the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) in this year’s budget as well as an additional $50 million for the BridgeNY program. As a whole, the state cannot move forward if its local cities, towns and villages have crumbling infrastructure. The state must step up and provide relief to local municipalities in the form of a major investment in CHIPS and BridgeNY.”