NY Gov. Paterson Announces Additional Transportation Projects Eligible For Federal Funding Through The American Recovery And Rei

Funds Directed to Projects Sponsored by Capital District Local Municipalities; Projects Expected to Create 1,000 Jobs

March 9, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced additional transportation projects eligible for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which will make much-needed improvements to highways and bridges owned by local governments and not the State.

These projects demonstrate the Governor’s commitment to quickly direct Recovery Act funding to important projects that have been proposed and sponsored by local municipalities. The projects include: the construction of a new bridge in the rural Town of Hoosick, Rensselaer County; replacement of a bridge in the City of Cohoes, Albany County; and road rehabilitation projects in Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs, Troy, and the Town of Schoharie.

“I would like to thank Congressman Paul Tonko and the entire New York Congressional Delegation for their tireless efforts on behalf of our State, and for securing the funding for these critical projects,” said Governor Paterson. “The top priority of this Recovery Act is to create jobs, and these projects will quickly create hundreds of jobs and help to create a 21st century transportation system in our State.”

The projects are shovel-ready and some will be put to bid as early as this spring.

Congressman Paul D. Tonko said: “I am pleased to see that Governor Paterson is moving quickly to fund projects right here in the Capital Region with dollars from the Recovery Act. These projects are critical to fixing and maintaining our infrastructure and will put people to work at a time when we continue to experience significant job losses. This is exactly how President Obama intended the stimulus plan to be implemented -- creating jobs and putting people to work quickly, while also tending to the infrastructure needs of our local communities. I want to thank Governor Paterson and his team for their continued hard work to put stimulus money to work for the people of the Capital Region.”

The economic recovery funds received by New York State for transportation projects are required to be distributed through the same process that all federal transportation funds follow. These projects were selected by either the local Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) or, in rural areas, by the State Department of Transportation, after consultation with local elected officials for inclusion on the State Transportation Improvement Program. Projects are reviewed by the State’s Economic Recovery and Reinvestments Cabinet. They will now be presented to the Governor for certification, required under the Recovery Act to demonstrate that the projects meet the criteria for the federal funds. Projects will be announced as they are approved.

The projects announced today include:

o Rehabilitation of County Route 1, Mineral Springs Road, Town of Schoharie, sponsored by the County of Schoharie;
o Construction of a new Caretaker’s Road bridge, sponsored by the Town of Hoosick, Rensselaer County;
o Rehabilitation of Bay Street, including new curbs, sidewalks and drainage, sponsored by the City of Glens Falls, Warren County;
o Reconstruction of a portion of Church Street, including new sidewalk and drainage, sponsored by the City of Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County;
o Reconstruction of Lower Congress and Ferry Streets, sponsored by the City of Troy, Rensselaer County;
o Replacement of the Bridge Avenue bridge, sponsored by the City of Cohoes, Albany County.

The projects in Saratoga, Albany, and Rensselaer Counties were included in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) of the Capital District Transportation Committee. The project in Warren County was included in the TIP of the Adirondack/Glens Falls Transportation Council, and the Schoharie County project was a collaborative selection between Schoharie County officials and the State Department of Transportation.

These projects are expected to use $24 million in ARRA funds and produce approximately 1,000 jobs, using the Federal Highway Administration formula of 42 jobs per $1 million in highway construction spending.

These projects represent a small number of the shovel-ready projects identified in New York and only a portion of the transportation funding these regions will ultimately receive through the Recovery Act. For more information on the ARRA efforts in New York State, please visit: www.economicrecovery.ny.gov.

Source: New York Governor