The New York Department of Transportation is one of several agencies facing cuts in Governor Cuomo’s budget proposal. Local highway officials worry that there won’t be enough money for even the most basic road work. Counties and municipalities receive funds from the state in the form of consolidated highway improvement funds. In Broome County, that money is paired with federal funds to cover repairs for roadways and bridges. In the coming year, that money likely won’t be enough. Public Works officials now have to make decisions on whether roads should be completely replaced or merely temporarily repaired. Highway officials are working to get creative with the money they have in order to service as much infrastructure as possible. Broome County spent $2 million of the improvement funds just on road construction this year. Smaller municipalities such as towns, even the Town of Binghamton, receive no federal funding in addition to the state funding. Officials in towns and counties alike say in order to keep up with the work that needs to be done, the funding needs to be available.
