White House report says New York’s infrastructure woes include 1,700 bridges in poor condition, broadband and transit needs

Start
  • By Steve Bittenbender | The Center Square contributor Apr 13, 2021
FILE - NY Andrew Cuomo 12-19-2018
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tours the North River Rail Tunnel that connects New Jersey and New York Wednesday on Dec. 19, 2018.Flickr / Gov. Andrew Cuomo

(The Center Square) – New York state received a C-minus grade from the White House on Monday for the state of its infrastructure.

The report card comes just two weeks after the Biden administration released its American Jobs Plan, a proposal to bolster the country’s infrastructure. The broad-based initiative seeks to improve transportation, broadband access, and energy and water distribution as well as shore up other needs across the country.

In all, the administration proposes to spend about $2 trillion over the next decade to make what it said are essential repairs and updates.

“The American Jobs Plan is an investment in America that will create millions of good jobs, rebuild our country’s infrastructure, and position the United States to out-compete China,” the White House said in a statement Monday.

Among the items the report card points out is that New York state has more than 1,700 bridges and almost 7,300 miles of highways that it considers to be in “poor” condition. Over the past decade, commute times have increased by more than 7 percent and motorists now pay $625 in annual costs because of the poor road conditions.

The federal government proposes to spend $115 billion to repair roads and bridges.

The report card also indicates that commuters who reply on public transit, including buses and rail, spend an extra 58.9 percent of time traveling to and from work. Minority communities are 2.5 times more likely to use mass transportation, and more than 1-in-10 busses and trains in New York are past their useful life.

Public transportation projects would receive $85 billion under the White House’s plan.

Also, 31.4 percent of the state’s residents live in places that have just one broadband supplier. In addition, 13 percent of New Yorkers do not have hard-line internet access.

The federal government is proposing to spend $100 billion to bring broadband to more people nationwide. That proposal comes as the state’s recently passed budget includes a provision that low-income families can get access for just $15 month.

“Everyone has to have access,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week. “Not only access, but access to affordable broadband.”

The White House report also notes that the state has experienced 31 extreme weather events, such as Superstorm Sandy, in the past decade that have cost the state $100 billion in damages.

Biden wants to spend $50 billion to improve the resiliency of the country’s infrastructure.

Another project that could be in line to receive funding from the proposal is the Gateway Tunnel initiative, which would build new rail tunnels connecting New York and New Jersey and immediately improve rail access to the northeastern United States.

It’s a project Cuomo has tried to get federally funded for years.

“I’ve already spoken to the President about it,” the governor said. “The president was very favorable about the gateway tunnels, but until I see a check signed by the federal government, I take everything with a grain of salt.”

New York was not alone in getting its below average grade. It was one of 21 states and the District of Columbia to get that mark. While eight states received no grade, the remainder of states and Puerto Rico received between a C-plus to a D-minus.

Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania received the same grade as New York. Vermont got a C, while New Jersey earned a D-plus.

Latest from the Roosevelt Island Daily News desk…

Foodtown Deli

What you need: Foodtown’s Weekly Circular

Report: New York has the highest tax burden in the nation

(The Center Square) — New Yorkers contribute the largest portion of their annual income to taxes in the nation, according to a new report by the personal finance website WalletHub. The Empire State has the highest overall tax burden in the U.S., accounting for 12.47% of personal income, according to the report — 2023’s Tax Burden by State — which…

Keep reading

What’s at Stake in the New York State Budget? A Quick Guide

With an April 1 deadline looming, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie are hashing out the upcoming New York State budget, likely in the ballpark of $230 billion.  But a host of differences between the executive’s budget proposal and the proposals of the two elected bodies have yet…

Keep reading

Groups urge lawmakers not to expand Hochul’s spending powers

(The Center Square) — Government watchdog groups are calling on New York lawmakers to reject Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push for “unilateral” borrowing and spending powers.  In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a coalition of groups urged lawmakers to strip provisions from the proposed state budget that they claim…

Keep reading

Here’s What the Collapse of Signature Bank Means for NY

New Yorkers woke up Monday to the news that a bank most had never heard of was suddenly closed by state regulators, its deposits guaranteed by the federal government, its stockholders’ investment wiped out and its executives sent packing. Greg David, The City This article was originally published on Mar 13 at 3:54 pm EDT…

Keep reading

Republicans say Hochul’s budget plan “out of touch with reality”

(The Center Square) – Republican lawmakers are criticizing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $227 million budget proposal, saying it doesn’t provide enough relief for the state’s inflation-wary taxpayers. On Monday, members of the Senate’s Republican minority ripped the Democrat’s proposed spending plan and called for amendments aimed at reducing the cost of living in the…

Keep reading

Hochul $227B Budget Plan Bolsters Revenue and Rainy Day Reserves

Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a $227 billion budget Wednesday that has something for everyone, and something almost everyone will dislike — especially the progressives who dominate the Democratic majorities in Albany. The plan increases spending across the board but puts much of the $8 billion in unexpected tax revenue from the current year into reserves…

Keep reading

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Leave a Reply

Previous Story

New York’s congressional delegation pushes leaders to restore full SALT deduction

Next Story

Roosevelt Island’s Big Transit Disaster, This Weekend, Courtesy of the MTA

Latest from New York News

0 $0.00
%d bloggers like this: