FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 31, 2014

Silver Announces $3.4 Billion in Transportation Infrastructure Improvements Included in 2014-15 SFY Budget
Additional Funds to Fix Local Road Damage Caused by Extreme Winter Weather and State Aid for Regional Transit Systems in Budget


Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Transportation Committee Chair David Gantt today announced the 2014-15 SFY Budget provides $3.4 billion to fund transportation infrastructure capital improvement projects throughout the state.

"This budget continues the state's commitment to making necessary investments in the transportation infrastructure of our local governments, whether it is roads and bridges or mass transit systems," said Silver. "These funding commitments are critical to our economy and the safety of the traveling public. It also provides municipalities with funds to help maintain their streets and roads and pay for the extensive repairs caused by this year's extremely harsh winter weather."

"I am pleased that this budget follows through on the last year of the two year funding commitment to our transportation infrastructure," said Gantt. "The funding provided for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program and the Marchiselli Aid is vital to keeping municipal roads safe and dependable and to sustaining the many jobs and businesses involved in the important work of repairing, maintaining and building local roads."

The $3.4 billion in the budget continues to fund the second year of a two year transportation infrastructure program aimed at keeping local roads, highways and bridges in good repair and supporting rail and aviation infrastructure.

Transit systems throughout the state will receive $4.8 billion in total aid. A $90.7 million increase is included for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the other Downstate transit systems, which are funded through the dedicated taxes imposed on that region. Upstate transit systems will be provided a total of $178.7 million, an increase of $5.1 million, plus a commitment for additional aid that will track the growth of the Upstate sales tax.

The budget also provides more than $500 million for two important highway transportation infrastructure programs that are heavily depended on by municipalities: The Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), $478.1 million and the Marchiselli Program, $39.7 million.

To address the severe road damage and extensive repair costs that municipalities across the state are forced to incur because of this winter's brutal weather conditions, the CHIPS funding includes a $40 million increase.

Another provision of the budget reduces by $10 million the Executive's proposal to transfer $40 million from the MTA operating account.