Assemblyman John McGowan (R,C-Rockland) attended a press conference alongside his colleagues in the Assembly and Senate Minorities, county and town highway superintendents and members of the New York State County Highway Superintendents Association (NYSCHSA) to demand increased funding for local roads, bridges and culverts. The group is calling on Gov. Hochul to offset the cost increase of construction materials by adding $200 million toward the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and a $70 million increase to the “Extreme Winter Recovery” (EWR) program.

“Key infrastructure projects like these keep our residents safe, our economy growing and they create jobs. It’s important to make sure we are properly funding the infrastructure in New York,” said McGowan. “It was a pleasure to join many local men and women from across the state and ensure the maintenance and repair of local roads and bridges remains a top priority in the budget each year. Without the necessary funding toward CHIPS, the safety and mobility on local roads would be a serious issue for school buses, first responders and healthcare workers as they commute back and forth. This is not a partisan issue– the safety of local roads across the state needs to be a priority.”