Groups Advocate for Funding of Local Roads and Bridges

ALBANY, NY (03/09/2011)(readMedia)-- The New York State County Highway Superintendents Association, Inc. (NYSCHSA) and the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Inc. (NYSAOTSOH) rallied upwards of 600 county and town highway superintendents, commissioners and other highway industry professionals in Albany today to discuss funding needs with lawmakers. Both groups remain concerned about the Two-Year Capital Plan which continues to underfund local road and bridge needs by about $1.2 billion per year. CHIPs and Marchiselli, the two main programs that help fund the majority of local projects, are funded at levels far below what is recommended by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to simply maintain core efforts. Predictably, this is resulting in an increased rate of deterioration of New York's local transportation system, making it much more difficult to reverse this trend in the years to come.

In 2007, the NYSDOT released a 20-Year Needs Assessment that called for doubling investment in the State's transportation capital program in order to reach a state of good repair. But last year, the NYSDOT $26 billion, Five-Year Capital Plan was rejected due to insufficient resources. As a result, instead of spending $5 to $6 billion annually on the State and local transportation system over the next five years, New York is carrying out a two-year, $7 billion capital plan, which significantly underfunds the identified critical maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction needs. The local highway system outside of NYC is under-funded by over $1.2 billion per year.

"Additionally, when the Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund was established, it did not adequately account for inflation growth and material, equipment and machinery cost increases over the years." stated Roger Wolfe, NYSAOTSOH President and Superintendent of Highways for the Town of Yates, Orleans County. "The fund's purchasing power and revenues are strained every time there is an upswing in the price of everything from diesel fuel to rock salt to steel."

Among other things, the proposed Five-Year Capital Plan recommended a separate $150 million in capital funding to local governments for rehabilitation and replacement of bridges and culverts owned by counties, cities, towns and villages. NYSDOT's concern with bridge conditions statewide was validated soon after the release of the proposal when the Lake Champlain Bridge from Essex County to Vermont was permanently closed.

NYSCHSA President William Dashnaw, St. Lawrence County Highway Superintendent noted, "More and more bridges on the local system have been shut down. These bridge closures significantly disrupt communities and cause people to drive additional miles out of their way; consuming gas, wasting time, adding to congestion and increasing safety concerns. The number of bridges closed by the State and municipalities due to safety concerns over just the past twelve months is staggering. Also, this list does not include all the bridges permanently or temporarily down-posted or those temporarily restricted to one lane until repairs are completed."

Problems for local bridges are particularly troublesome. According to an audit issued by the New York State Comptroller in January 2010, local bridges were more than twice as likely as State bridges to be "red-flagged" for serious structural defects. Therefore, the failure to provide for the local bridge program in the Executive Budget is alarming as it will likely lead to new disaster declarations and disruptions to the commerce and quality of life in New York communities.

The problem New York faces is that its local highway infrastructure is deteriorating and funding for repair is woefully inadequate. Over 38 percent of the 8,600 local bridges are deficient compared to 29 percent deficient for the State's 7,600 bridges. Similarly, the 97,000 miles of local highway is in much worse condition when compared to the State's 15,500 miles of highway. Because there has been no increase in funding levels for local bridge work in the Two-Year Capital Plan, an additional 1,300 local bridges will become deficient over the next ten years.

To address today's critical condition of the local transportation infrastructure, the groups are urging the NYS Legislature and the Governor to include, as part of the final 2011-12 State Budget, the following program enhancements:

• Consistent with the multi-year transportation capital plan proposed by NYSDOT in 2009, authorize CHIPs funding at $420 million and Marchiselli funding at $56 million for fiscal year 2011-2012. This represents more than the Governor's proposal of $363.1 million for CHIPs and $39.7 million for Marchiselli. Although far short of the investment needed to make real progress in the local road and bridge system, the proposed increases should slow the deterioration of the local system.

• Also consistent with the NYSDOT capital plan proposal, establish a local bridge and culvert initiative totaling $150 million for five years and fund the first year at $30 million. Localities are responsible for over half of all highway bridges in the State, and a disproportionate number of those are or will soon become deficient due to lack of funding.

• Reform the Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund (DHBTF) to ensure that the bulk of dedicated transportation revenues is actually invested in capital projects that ensure the safety of the traveling public. A 2009 State Comptroller report noted that, since 1991, only 34.9 percent of the fund's money went directly toward the repair and improvement of the State's deteriorating roads and bridges.

• Immediately begin to identify the new State revenues that will adequately fund the next five-year transportation plan. The Governor's budget funds only the last year of the current two-year plan and makes no suggestion of how to meet the massive funding needs of the State's transportation system in the immediate future. With $1.2 billion in unmet annual needs in the local road and bridge system alone, it is widely recognized that the system is in crisis and that new State resources are needed to make real progress.

• Ensure the continued availability of CHIPs funds for preventative maintenance-type projects, such as pavement sealing processes and resurfacing work, as these treatments are vital to extending the functional life of roads.

The groups have long represented the slogan the "Local roads matter!" Local roads are a crucial part of the State's infrastructure. Providing the much-needed additional funds for local roads and bridges also sustains local jobs – both public and private in highway related industries and professions. Federal stimulus funding provided fresh investment for Federally-aided highways and the contractors regularly employed to build and maintain those highways. However, the stimulus left out a huge portion of the local highway system thus falling short of the goal of making a positive impact on the condition of the majority of the transportation system and of stimulating job creation for local communities and businesses throughout the State.

Most New York families live on local roads. Manufacturing plants, office buildings and warehouses are located on local roads. Schools, hospitals, police stations and fire stations are on local roads. Farmers depend on local roads to get their goods to market. New York's economic and social life moves over local roads as much as State roads and interstate highways. Every road and bridge in New York contributes to the quality of life, whether owned by the State, a county, or any local government.

Resources available to fund local roads and bridges continue to shrink. CHIPs funding has not kept pace with inflation, so along with the underfunding of transportation below levels called for in the Five-Year Capital Plan, there has been an effective decrease in resources each and every year.

Local governments face a daunting challenge in the face of rising petroleum and material costs associated with highway and bridge construction and maintenance. Local roads and bridges account for 96,000 miles of New York State's roads - 87% of the total. Over half of the bridges in the State are owned by local governments. The goal of maintaining a proper investment in this entire infrastructure by keeping it in a state of good repair is not being met, despite the dedication and hard work of thousands of local highway workers.

Local roads do indeed matter as much as State roads. There needs to be a more equitable distribution of highway funding resources. Motorists and other users of State and local roads pay taxes and fees into the DHBTF each year. Only about 20% is used to support the CHIPs and Marchiselli programs that fund local roads and bridges. However, local roads account for 66 billion vehicle miles of travel (VMT) or 48% of the total for the State. The bottom line is that local roads – representing 87% of the miles, 52% of the bridges and nearly half of all of the VMT – receive only 13% of the Federal, State and local taxes collected at the pump to support all of the State's transportation infrastructure.

The mission of the New York State County Highway Superintendents Association, Inc. is to provide opportunities for professional development to its members while, as a unified voice, working to:

• provide information to the membership to aid in the operation of the highway departments;

• inform New York State lawmakers of county positions on proposed legislation involving highways and public works; and

• sponsor and promote the transfer of technology and information.

The mission of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Inc. is to:

• act as a medium of instruction in highway construction and maintenance;

• ensure better and safer highways;

• provide efficient public service;

• realize economies, through exchange of ideas, cooperation, and coordination;

• promote and support legislation that will benefit the best interest of the people in the towns;

• promote the principle of Home-Rule; and

• defend the town form of government.