The Rebuild New York Now campaign stopped in downtown Buffalo on Monday and warned about the dangers of crumbling infrastructure.
Campaign Chairman Gib Gagnon says the New York State Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transit Authority are supposed to receive similar funding amounts for capital projects. But Gagnon says in recent years the MTA has outpaced the DOT by nearly $5 billion.
"It's not fair. And it's risking our safety and economy. Right now we face potholes, closed bridges with no foreseen future of when they're going to be reopened and an infrastructure that cannot support a thriving economy," said Gagnon.
The coalition is calling for funding parity for upstate's roads and bridges and the MTA. Senator Tim Kennedy says Albany is funding a five-year capital plan for the MTA and western New York demands the same.
Assemblymember Robin Schimminger is urging Cuomo to to appropriate the necessary funding in his upcoming budget proposal. Schimminger says it's imperative that state-owned roads and bridges get the repairs they desperately need.