New York Governor Paterson Announces Construction Start On First Onondaga County Stimulus Project

Bridge Replacement to Improve Safety in Onondaga County

June 1 , 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced the start of construction on a $7.7 million project to replace the bridge carrying Bartell Road over Interstate 81 in Onondaga County, the first American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) construction contract to begin in the Syracuse area. Crews will replace the existing bridge with a new structure and improve pedestrian and cyclist paths throughout the project area in Cicero.

Governor Paterson recently certified this and 11 other projects for a total of $53.9 million in federal economic recovery funds for Syracuse area highways and bridges.

New York State Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee was joined this morning by Congressman Dan Maffei and Superintendent of Vector Construction Tim Potter at the groundbreaking.

“Just as President Obama and the State Congressional Delegation acted diligently to secure these federal stimulus funds, so too must we act diligently to certify the shovel-ready projects that will help get New Yorkers back to work,” Governor Paterson said. “The revitalization of our local economies and needed improvements to our transportations systems will benefit communities across the State will benefit, just as they will our neighbors in Cicero and throughout Central New York.”

New York is expected to receive $26.7 billion in ARRA funding. Economic recovery funds coming to the 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 New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) representatives. MPOs vote unanimously on projects for their Transportation Improvement Program, and these projects are then eligible to be considered for economic recovery funds. The project to replace the bridge carrying Bartell Road over I-81 was approved by the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council to be eligible to receive ARRA funding.

Similarly, regions of New York without MPOs are served by NYSDOT, which consults with local elected officials and selects projects for the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. NYSDOT is working with local officials and the Governor’s Economic Recovery Cabinet to identify priority shovel-ready projects eligible for recovery funds.

NYSDOT Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee said: “This bridge replacement project will improve safety and capacity for motorists and will allow larger trucks shipping goods across New York State to pass along I-81. Governor Paterson has been aggressive in utilizing economic-recovery funds quickly and efficiently so we are positioned to benefit from additional federal funds that may become available.”

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer said: “Improving and maintaining Syracuse’s infrastructure is critical to the growth and economic development of the area and a great way to create jobs. I am thrilled that I was able to help secure this funding for Syracuse through the Economic Recovery Package so that we can finally break ground on these long overdue projects.”

U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand said: “This is great news for the Syracuse area and Onondaga County. With the construction of the new bridge that will carry travelers on Bartell Road over Interstate 81, we will immediately create jobs and update our infrastructure to promote long term economic growth, get New Yorkers back to work and get the economy moving again. I will continue to work with Senator Schumer and our Congressional Delegation to make sure New York gets its fair share of federal dollars.”

Congressman Dan Maffei said: “It is exciting to see crews get to work on this project and know that Recovery Act dollars are coming to Syracuse. We passed the ARRA to make sure people got back to work and to make investments in our local economy that were smart for the short and long run. I applaud the hard work of all parties involved in getting these projects approved, and hope we see many more groundbreakings in the very near future.”

Senator David J. Valesky said: “This groundbreaking is significant because, in addition to marking the beginning of a much-needed project, it represents putting people back to work through federal stimulus funding.”

Assemblyman Al Stirpe said: “This critical federal funding will undoubtedly improve the quality of life for Central New York residents by ensuring safety on our roads, improving the appearance of our communities and creating much-needed jobs. Every stimulus dollar flowing into Central New York to improve infrastructure is an investment in the area's quality of life.”

Source: New York Governor