News and Updates

A recent report by TRIP, a national organization that researches transportation-related data, found 47% of local and state-maintained roads in New York are in poor or mediocre condition due to inadequate state and local funding. The same report found these poorly maintained roads cost the average New York driver $588 a year in “additional vehicle operating costs.” Statewide, this translates to $7.2 billion every year.

“This stunning data shows the severe financial impact that deteriorating local infrastructure has on every day New Yorkers,” said Mike Elmendorf. “The State tends to emphasize large marquis projects in its funding priorities. While these are important, we cannot ignore the needs of the roads and bridges in our local communities. As the TRIP report shows, rebuilding these crumbling pieces of infrastructure will not only create jobs, but put money back in the pockets of New York families.”

Other facts from the TRIP Report:

  • Ten percent of New York’s bridges are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition, the eleventh highest share in the nation.
  • Congested roads cost New York drivers $14.2 billion each year in the form of lost time and wasted fuel.
  • In the most congested urban areas, drivers lose up to $1,947 and as many as 92 hours per year sitting in congestion.

For more on the TRIP report, click here.

NEW REPORT IDENTIFIES NEW YORK STATE BRIDGES MOST IN NEED OF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT. APPROXIMATELY 11.6 MILLION VEHICLES PER DAY CROSS STATE’S POOR/ STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT BRIDGES; TEN PERCENT OF NEW YORK’S BRIDGES ARE RATED POOR/STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT AND 53 PERCENT ARE RATED FAIR.

Eds.: TRIP has prepared a statewide report on bridge conditions throughout New York as well as regional reports for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, Binghamton, Buffalo, Hudson Valley, Long Island, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica areas. The reports include a list of bridges in each area with the lowest average rating for the condition of the deck, superstructure and substructure, and a list of each area’s most heavily traveled poor/structurally deficient bridges. Infographics are available here.

Albany, NY – Ten percent of bridges in New York State are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition, according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, DC based national transportation research nonprofit. This includes bridges 20 feet or longer. A bridge is rated poor/structurally deficient if there is significant deterioration of the bridge deck, supports or other major components.

The TRIP report, “Preserving New York’s Bridges: The Condition and Funding Needs of New York’s Aging Bridge System,” finds that 1,757 of New York’s 17,521 bridges are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition –ten percent. New York bridges that are poor/structurally deficient carry 11,590,945 vehicles per day. Poor/structurally deficient bridges may be posted for lower weight limits or closed if their condition warrants such action. Deteriorated bridges can have a significant impact on daily life. Restrictions on vehicle weight may cause many vehicles – especially emergency vehicles, commercial trucks, school buses and farm equipment – to use alternate routes to avoid weight-restricted bridges. Redirected trips also lengthen travel time, waste fuel and reduce the efficiency of the local economy.

Fifty-three percent (9,364 of 17,521) of locally and state-maintained bridges in New York have been rated in fair condition. A fair rating indicates that a bridge’s structural elements are sound, but minor deterioration has occurred to the bridge’s deck, substructure or superstructure. The remaining 37 percent (6,400 of 17,521) of the state’s bridges are rated in good condition.

“Maintaining safe and stable infrastructure is critically important to all New Yorkers. Every day, millions of people travel through our state on what are often poor and structurally deficient roads and bridges,” said Senator Tim Kennedy, chairman of the New York State Senate Committee on Transportation. “Now more than ever we need to ensure that we’re dedicating resources to local infrastructure that is desperately in need of repair and maintenance. Taxpayer dollars must be put to work to improve our local community. I will continue to work with local stakeholders and continue to fight for additional funding to improve our roads and bridges.”

“On behalf of our more than 900 Town Highway Superintendents we’d like to thank TRIP for its excellent work highlighting the need for increased funding to stabilize the condition of our state and local bridges,” said Town of Denmark Highway Superintendent Patrick Mahar, president of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways. “We commend Governor Cuomo and our state legislators for investing over $450 million in local bridges through the Bridge-NY program. But significant increases are needed in this and other local infrastructure programs to ensure New Yorkers don’t have to continue to drive over deficient bridges.”

“The TRIP Report underscores what highway superintendents throughout the state understand about the condition of many of our local bridges. Poor bridge condition ratings negatively impact functionality, time of travel, safety, the local economy and the overall experience of the traveling public,” said Dennis S. Davis, president of the New York State County Highway Superintendents Association. “With many aging bridges more than 70 years old, not to mention tens of thousands of culverts also requiring immediate reconstruction or replacement, we face a situation in desperate need of increased public investment and a concerted effort on the part of all levels of government to address the funding demands of our aging and ailing transportation systems.”

“New York’s bridges are a critical component of the state’s transportation system, providing connections for personal mobility, economic growth and quality of life,” said Will Wilkins, TRIP’s executive director. “Without increased and reliable transportation funding, numerous projects to improve and preserve aging bridges in the Capital Region and statewide will not move forward, hampering New York’s ability to efficiently and safety move people and goods.”

TRIP BRIDGE CONDITION REPORTS:

REBUILD NY NOW RELEASES SHUFON REPORT

It is clear that highway and local road pavement conditions are quickly worsening in New York State.  A long backlog of pavement needs, coupled with a heavy reliance on the temporary resurfacing of roads, which only have a two-thirds lifecycle, annually costs up to $2,748 per New Yorker.

According to the “Road to Ruin” Report released by Rebuild NY Now, the cost of the backlog of necessary pavement improvements across the State is over $5.5 billion; and an additional $200 million is required every year simply to maintain pavement in its current condition of disrepair.

TRIP also released a series of New York State reports, noting that nearly half of major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor or mediocre condition and 10 percent of locally and state-maintained bridges (20 feet or longer) are in poor condition.