Back in December, a coalition of disparate groups, including counties, contractors, tourism, farmers, unions and business associations wrote to Gov. Kathy Hochul concerned about the rollout of an initiative to fund the state’s aging infrastructure.

In the letter, the coalition stated that while New York started receiving additional funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the New York state Department of Transportation’s investment in its core highway and bridge funding declined from 2021 to 2022. 

The coalition is afraid that decline will be repeated next year.  

Michael Elmendorf, president and CEO of Associated General Contractors of New York State, told Capital Tonight that inflation is eating up a good portion of the increased funding, which is a problem because the state of the roads is “bad."

“We can just walk outside and have a look,” Elmendorf said. “I was dodging potholes on the way here, and that’s not atypical,” he said. 

Bridge conditions in the state have also declined in 10 of New York’s 11 regions, which Elmendorf described as “unprecedented."

The coalition is looking for at least an additional $400 million to be added to the 2024-25 budget for core highway construction to keep funding at a similar level to when the five-year program was initially adopted in 2022.