Assemblyman Doug Smith (5^th Assembly District) attended a rally today calling for an increase in state aid for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), which is used for the maintenance of local roads and bridges.

With budget cuts looming more funds will continue to deplete, resulting in the loss of programs such as Extreme Winter Recovery that help improve Long Island’s highways, roads and bridges. Last year the town of Brookhaven received $686,000 for Extreme Winter Recovery that was used to fix and pave roads after an aggressive winter resulting in potholes and road wear. If the governor’s budget passes, the town of Brookhaven will see a decrease in funds for Extreme Winter Recovery resulting in a lack of road recovery and a further increase on the damage of current infrastructure. 

“Not only do I care about fixing our state highways, but the roads in my district continue to be plagued with potholes that continuously cause broken tires and accidents. When we pay municipal taxes every year, we expect our government to fix our roads and make roads safer for motorists,” Smith said.

“Local residents, tourists and motorists depend on a safe and reliable transportation system and CHIPS plays a key role in the maintenance and repair of roads and highways across the state. Additional aid to this program will ease the burden on taxpayers and allow for programs such as Extreme Winter Recovery to improve and work for our community. Increasing state aid for CHIPS is one of my main priorities in this year’s budget. I know with additional state funding for CHIPS we can cut local taxes and finally fix our roadways,” Smith concluded.