Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour the Preston Way Bridge in Mt. Kisco, speaking with concerned residents who are frustrated by the lack of movement, physically and governmentally, since the bridge’s closure in December of last year.
The bridge’s closure, due to structural deficiencies, has been made worse by both the New York State Department of Transportation’s unnecessary red tape and State Sen. Pete Harckham’s inability to stay on top of the issue by making sure that DOT does its job by getting approvals to the local government quickly, and by pushing the governor for the funding necessary to rebuild the bridge as quickly as possible.
The issue at the Preston Way Bridge highlights a deeper problem in New York State: our roads and bridges are woefully underfunded. According to TRIP, a national nonprofit organization that researches and evaluates transportation infrastructure, New York State requires nearly $37 billion in investment in our roads and bridges in order to bring them into a good state of repair. New York State isn’t even allocating a quarter of that amount. This is a significant problem that needs to be addressed immediately.
Sen. Harckham has been running around the district since the passage of the budget bragging about improvements to roads and bridges, but the reality doesn’t match his rhetoric. Unfortunately, when speaking with town highway superintendents, they are quick to tell me that the investments aren’t even close to where they need to be to bring their roads into a good state of repair, never mind the upgrades that will be required to accommodate heavier vehicles like the all-electric school buses that Sen. Harckham has championed in recent years.
New York State spent $277 billion in this year’s budget. How come Gov. Hochul, Sen. Harckham and the legislature aren’t driving more of the necessary funds required to upgrade our roads and bridges? It’s governmental malpractice.
I know where we can make a start. Let’s stop sending billions of dollars to mismanaged cities to bail them out because of their own making. This year alone, New York State sent over $5 billion to New York City to help fill their budget gap. This is unfair to the taxpayers of New York State who pay into the system with the expectation that they will get something in return; sending hard-earned tax dollars to a region of the state at the expense of another is unacceptable, and this practice must stop.
As the deputy town supervisor of Yorktown, I know what it’s like to balance a budget and properly invest in our infrastructure. Right now, New York State isn’t meeting its obligation to taxpayers. It’s time for a change in Albany. It’s time for new leadership.
Sergio Esposito is a candidate for the New York State Senate District 40.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here