GEDDES, N.Y. — Selected roads in Central New York, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, and North Country are among those set for work to enhance the resiliency of state highways.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced $100 million for road work in 70 locations in New York state that have been impacted by extreme weather.
Marie Therese Dominguez, commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), on Wednesday announced the funding in the Art and Home Center at the New York State Fairgrounds in the town of Geddes.
The road work will begin this spring, Dominguez noted in her remarks.
With project support from the federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act, crews will repave a total of 551 lane miles of state highways in every region of the state, to revitalize New York’s aging infrastructure, Hochul’s office said.
After the storms are over and the winter weather has subsided, the NYSDOT turns its attention to rebuilding roads and repairing the damage that’s left behind after a harsh winter, Dominguez said in her remarks.
“And with the impacts of climate change becoming even more severe, that workload has been increasing,” Dominguez said. “What does that actually mean? … What it means is that beyond the freeze and thaw cycle, we are experiencing more impacts of not just freezing and thawing but also wind, flooding, downed trees … all of the things that we now see all at once … intense rainfalls, intense snowfalls in tighter periods of time than we’ve seen before.”
Joining Dominguez for Wednesday’s announcement were New York State Assemblyman William Magnarelli (D–Syracuse), who chairs the Assembly’s transportation committee and New York State Senator John Mannion (D–Geddes), who will succeed Brandon Williams as the U.S. Representative in New York’s 22nd Congressional District, effective Jan. 3.
Project examples
In its announcement, the state listed the projects by region, and the following are a few examples of the highways targeted for work (a more extensive list will be provided in an upcoming weekly edition of The Central New York Business Journal).
Central New York
The Central New York region has eight projects that include $1.8 million to resurface Route 174 from Lee Mulroy Road to Main Street in Marcellus and from Main Street to West Genesee Street in Camillus.
The funding awards also include $500,000 to resurface Route 931B (State Fair Boulevard) — from Route 297 to Pump House Road in the town of Geddes.
The eight projects also include $1.6 million to resurface Route 104 from the Cayuga County line to Route 104A in the town of Oswego and town and village of Hannibal in Oswego County.
Mohawk Valley
The three funding awards in the Mohawk Valley include $2.1 million to resurface Route 20 from Beaver Creek Road to Brothertown Road in the town of Sangerfield in Oneida County.
Southern Tier
The nine projects in the Southern Tier include $2.3 million to resurface Route 38 from the village of Newark Valley to the hamlet of Berkshire, in the towns of Newark Valley and Berkshire, in Tioga County.
$1.1 million to resurface Route 26 from Overlook Drive to the Cortland County line in the town of Triangle, Broome County.
North Country
In the North Country, the 11 project awards include $1.3 million to resurface Route 11 from the east village of Gouverneur line to Bristol Road in the town of Gouverneur in St. Lawrence County.