Assemblyman Joseph M. Giglio (R,I,C-Gowanda) today joined his legislative colleagues as well as local highway and road officials and organizations at a press conference calling for an increase in funding for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPs). CHIPs is a funding source for local highway and infrastructure improvements.

“Economic development has been a focus of this administration, and, yet, funding for CHIPs has remained stagnant since 2008,” said Giglio. “Economic development requires a strong infrastructure program and a steady funding mechanism. If we are talking about revitalizing Upstate and Western New York, now is the time to increase the funding to help repair our local roads and bridges. Local infrastructure makes up roughly 82 percent of the roads and bridges in the State of New York.”

In the governor’s proposed budget, $363.1 million in CHIPs funding was included – the same funding level as in previous years. Giglio noted that lawmakers and local highway and road officials are calling for a CHIPs funding increase of $100 million, from $363.1 million to $463.1 million. A report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli recently concluded 32 percent of local bridges are deficient and 40 percent of local roads are in fair to poor, or worse, condition.

More than four dozen state lawmakers have joined the call for increased CHIPs funding, as well as local officials and organizations including NYS County Highway Superintendents Association, NYS Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, NYS Association of Counties, New York Conference of Mayors, and the Association of Towns of the State of New York.