Assemblyman Scott Bendett (R,C- Sand Lake) today stood with local officials, highway superintendents, and infrastructure advocates to demand immediate action from the governor and state legislative leaders to address the severe underfunding of New York’s local roads, bridges, and culverts. Bendett blasted the governor’s proposal to freeze funding for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) at last year’s levels, calling it a reckless decision that ignores skyrocketing construction costs and the financial strain on local governments.

“The governor’s plan to flatline CHIPS funding is an insult to our towns and villages that are already struggling to keep up with inflation,” said Bendett. “Highway construction costs have increased by 70% in just three years, yet the governor expects our communities to maintain their roads on last year’s budget. It’s a slap in the face to every taxpayer who relies on safe and well-maintained roads to get to work, school, and home.”

Local governments outside of New York City spent $2 billion on road maintenance and improvement in 2020. However, a 2023 study by the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways (NYSAOTSOH) found that municipalities need an additional $2.69 billion annually—or $40.35 billion over 15 years—to restore local roads properly. Without an increase in state support, communities will be forced to either drastically cut road repairs or pass the costs onto already overburdened taxpayers.

Bendett vowed to fight tooth and nail for an increase in CHIPS funding, stressing that failing to invest in local infrastructure now will only compound the financial burden on municipalities in the years ahead. He also warned that reckless state mandates—like the requirement that all new school bus purchases be electric starting in 2027—will only make matters worse. With New York’s 1,600 municipalities responsible for ensuring that local roads can withstand the significantly heavier weight of electric school buses, Bendett cautioned that without additional state support, towns and villages will face crippling repair costs and a devastating strain on already tight budgets.

“New Yorkers deserve better than a governor who ignores basic infrastructure needs while pushing expensive, impractical mandates. I won’t stand by while our communities are left to foot the bill for Albany’s failures.”