Gov. David Paterson announced the certification of $5.1 million in funding for Hudson Valley transportation projects under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The funding includes $1.2 million to replace the Beckley Drive over Fantine Kill Bridge in Ulster County, and $293,000 to install stormwater separator systems in Dutchess County.
“With the certification of these two projects, we have now allocated $115.5 million for transportation improvements in the Hudson Valley region, a large portion of the economic-recovery funding reserved for the area,” Paterson said. “Furthermore, we have now certified 90 percent of the $1.1 billion in economic-recovery funds available for highway and bridge projects statewide. Thanks to President Obama and the New York State congressional delegation, these infrastructure investments will continue to create or save important construction jobs here in the Hudson Valley and in communities all over New York.”
The village of Ellenville and town of Wawarsing in Ulster County will replace the Beckley Drive over Fantine Kill Bridge. The new bridge will improve safety and correct hydraulic and drainage deficiencies. Construction is expected to begin next year, with completion by the end of 2010.
The project to install stormwater separator systems in the village of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County, will cost a total of $423,000. These systems assist in reducing the amount of pollutants entering Wappinger Lake from highway runoff. The project also will include replacement of an existing multi-use trail and new landscaping. Work is anticipated to begin in the fall of 2009, with completion expected by early 2010.
Additionally, a $500,000 project to repave the Peenpack Trail in the town of Deerpark, Orange County, this year and a $3.1 million project to repave various Orange County roads this year have been certified. Roads scheduled for paving include County Road 107 from Route 32 to Route 9W; County Road 60 from County Road 11 to Mapes Road; County Road 72 from New Jersey state line to the Rockland County line; County Road 101 from Route 211 to Route 302; County Road 26 from Maskers Lane to the New Jersey state line; County Road 1 from County Road 12 to Route 284; County Road 56 from Greeves Road to Route 6; County Road 49 from Route 6 to Middletown; and County Road 105 from Route 32 to Ridge Road.
In April, Paterson announced that the Hudson Valley region could expect to see $168 million in ARRA funding for transportation projects
New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee said, “The economic-recovery program has been a critical supplement to our traditional transportation funding sources, allowing us to pave and reconstruct more miles of roadway and repair more bridges than we otherwise could have. Governor Paterson has moved quickly to allocate recovery resources so that important transportation projects can put people to work in communities across New York State.”
The economic-recovery funds coming to New York State for transportation projects must follow the same process required for distributing all federal transportation funds. The funds are allocated to projects that are selected by the 13 regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) across the state, which are comprised of local elected officials, local transit operators and NYSDOT representatives. MPOs vote unanimously on projects for their Transportation Improvement Program, and the projects are candidates for economic-recovery funds. The pavement resurfacing project was approved by the Poughkeepsie Dutchess County Transportation Council (PDCTC) and the Ulster County Transportation Council (UCTC) to be eligible to receive ARRA funding.
Similarly, regions of New York State without MPOs are served by NYSDOT, which consults with local elected officials and selects projects for the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The department worked with local officials and the Governor’s Economic Recovery Cabinet to identify priority shovel-ready projects eligible for recovery funds.
For more information, visit http://recovery.ny.gov/.
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