Assemblyman Brian Maher (R,C-Walden) joined his colleagues as well as dozens of local highway superintendents and town officials from throughout the Hudson Valley at a press conference on Friday, Feb. 16, as they advocated for additional highway infrastructure funding. The press conference was hosted by Assemblyman Anil Beephan (R,C-East Fishkill), Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown), Assemblyman John McGowan (R,C-Rockland) and local highway superintendents at the Fishkill Highway Department.

“Our rural communities are counting on funding from CHIPS,” said Maher. “Cutting $100 million is going to be an absolute disaster and it will have a horrible impact on the upkeep of our roads. With inflation impacting every aspect of our lives, the cost of maintaining our roads has more than doubled. We need a massive increase in CHIPS funding just to keep pace with increased material costs. Our local residents drive on these roads every day to get to work, school, the doctor, sports, after-school activities for our kids and so much more.”

For twelve consecutive years, members of the New York state Assembly, Senate and various local offices have advocated for more aggressive funding in the budget for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS). In the 2024 Executive Budget proposal, Gov. Hochul included a $100 million cut to local transportation infrastructure funding. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is increasing federal highway aid to New York by $4.6 billion, totaling $13.4 billion. The issue with this is local roads, which make up 87% of the statewide road systems, are not able to receive these federal funds.

“Basic infrastructural necessities should never be cut, especially to this extent, with a $233 billion budget,” Maher continued. “We have to fund these essential costs and we need to have the backs of our local highway workers.”