Hawley doesn’t want $60 million cut to CHIPS for roads and bridges, seeks $200 million increase

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) criticized Gov. Hochul’s proposed cuts to local roads and bridges in her 2024-25 Executive Budget proposal.

Hawley is joined by his Republican colleagues in the Senate and Assembly in his opposition to Hochul’s proposed $60 million cut for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), the state’s main source of funding for repair and maintenance of local roads, bridges and culverts.

For local communities, taxpayers and motorists, CHIPS is essential to maintaining safe road conditions and using tax dollars as efficiently as possible. The group also criticized Hochul for failing to be fair and partial in her priorities for upstate and downstate infrastructure.

Hawley and his colleagues are calling on the governor to restore the $60 million cut to CHIPS base aid and increase the CHIPS base funding level by $200 million to a total of $798.1 million.

Since 2013, Assemblyman Hawley has worked closely with local transportation advocates on the “Local Roads Are Essential” advocacy campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the New York State County Highway Superintendents Association (NYSCHSA) and the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, Inc. (NYSAOTSOH) and brings hundreds of advocates to Albany each year to support local infrastructure.

Hawley will also be meeting with local county, town and village highway superintendents on Feb. 23. to discuss these proposed cuts. Hawley hopes this initiative will bring meaningful change and provide much-needed funding for local roads and bridges.

“The proposed cuts to funding for local roads and bridges shows a complete lack of understanding of basic economics,” said Hawley. “While the price to pave, maintain and upkeep infrastructure is rising, localities are not given the funding they need year after year.

“The Majority’s politically driven spending is now burdening upstate communities with less aid for schools and now unreasonable cuts for their roads and bridges all to make an impossible attempt to balance an already bloated budget,” Hawley said. “Prosperity for New Yorkers begins at the local level. If the governor wants to reverse the trend of record-high outmigration, that starts with taking care of local infrastructure instead of turning a blind eye to the needs of upstate communities.”