New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced this week that annual state funding for the maintenance and repair of local roads has almost doubled since 2019 to nearly $23 million last year, marking a major investment in local infrastructure and road safety across the district.
“These increases demonstrate what strong advocacy and responsible budgeting can accomplish,” said Harckham, “and I will continue fighting to secure the resources our communities need.”
Harckham said that when combining all the funding for local roads, the grand total for the 40th Senate District has increased from $11,869,621.34 in 2019 to $22,802,076.72 in the FY2025-26 State Budget, almost double the amount since he took office in 2019. The increase in funding has far outpaced inflation over that time period.
State funding makes up about 50% of the road funding in local municipalities, including cities, villages and towns. This is separate from the funding provided for state-owned roads, which are maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).
“Reliable state funding for our local roads and bridges is absolutely critical,” said Harckham. “Nearly doubling this funding since 2019 means safer roads, improved infrastructure, and significant relief for local taxpayers. This is a direct investment in our communities and our economy.”
Local highway funding increases since 2019 include:
- Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS)
$6,436,157.97 in 2019 – $12,120,662.57 in 2025-26
- Extreme Winter Recovery (EWR):
$761,420.25 in 2019 – $1,613,081.47 in 2025-26 - PAVE-NY:
$1,469,988.12 in 2019 – $2,990,156.81 in 2025-26 - Pave Our Potholes (POP):
$1,476,908.11 in 2022 – $1,993,437.87 in 2025-26 - Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM):
$3,202,055 in 2019 – $4,084,738 in 2025-26
This dramatic increase reflects sustained advocacy for local infrastructure funding in Albany by Senator Harckham over several budget cycles.
Earlier this year, Harckham was joined by union leaders and other elected officials in calling for increased CHIPS funding statewide, as well as additional resources for the NYSDOT in the FY2026-27 budget, emphasizing the urgent need to address aging infrastructure and rising construction costs.
“Our municipalities depend on consistent and robust state support to keep roads safe and passable,” Harckham said at a January 9 press conference. “Increasing CHIPS funding and strengthening the NYSDOT budget are necessary steps to ensure we can meet the growing infrastructure needs of our communities.”
The NYSDOT has already repaved a number of major state-owned roads, including Routes 9A, 22, 35, 52, 311, 134, and has committed, at Harckham’s urging, to repave Routes 9W, 133, 202, and 100. The department has also committed to conduct in-depth traffic modernization studies of Routes 9A and 35, two major north-south and east-west thoroughfares. The funding for the studies was secured by Harckham and other legislators.
The 40th Senate District includes municipalities across Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties, where local leaders have consistently emphasized the importance of state partnership in maintaining critical transportation infrastructure.
Town of Cortlandt Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker said, “State aid derived from CHIPS, Pave-NY, EWR and POP play an integral role in local town efforts to maintain motorist safety by providing critical financial resources to resurface and restore roadways. Without such investment, the Town would be severely limited in its ability to maintain local roads. In particular, the efforts of Sen. Harckham to achieve a near doubling of CHIPs funding, will allow us to repair many of the roadways damaged by this year’s massive storms. We are grateful for such assistance.”
