Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today criticized Gov. Cuomo’s intention to overhaul La Guardia Airport in Queens. The project, announced Monday in New York City by Gov. Cuomo and Vice President Joe Biden, is estimated to cost roughly $4 billion, and no details have been released on how New York will finance the major project.

“Infrastructure spending of this magnitude should better serve New York State as a whole, not just downstate and New York City residents,” Hawley said. “My district alone contains 56 percent of the Erie Canal system’s lift bridges, and any discussion of infrastructure spending should include repair of upstate roads, bridges and highways. Many of my constituents rarely use La Guardia Airport, but they are being asked to help foot the bill so downstate residents can have more convenience when they travel. This is an exclusive and alienating way of governing, further opens the divide between upstate and downstate, and breeds resentment among upstate residents who continue to see their infrastructure crumble. I am calling on Gov. Cuomo to release a financial plan detailing this project and its financial burden on taxpayers.”