EAST FISHKILL- Elected officials gathered at the East Fishkill Highway Garage to call on the state to restore proposed cuts to highway funding and increase funds for local municipalities to maintain and repair roadways in the upcoming state budget.
Assemblyman Anil Beephan (R, East Fishkill) organized the event which he said was necessary to highlight the devastating impact the proposed cuts would have on highway departments in his district. In the 2024 Executive Budget proposal, Governor Kathy Hochul included a $100 million cut to local transportation infrastructure funding which includes reductions to the state’s Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) fund.
“Today we stand united to ensure that the Hudson Valley receives the support it needs through the CHIPS Program,” Beephan said. “Our local roads are the lifeblood of our communities, connecting us and facilitating essential daily activities.”
Beepahn was joined by fellow Assemblymen Brian Maher (R, Montgomery) and Matt Slater (R, Yorktown).
“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.”
The lawmakers pointed out that increasing state funding for local roads is critical because while there is $13.4 billion total in federal highway earmarked for New York through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, local roads, which make up 87 percent of the statewide road systems, are not able to receive these federal funds.
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