There are more than 100 bridges in Western New York that are structurally deficient, according to the latest data from the Federal Highway Administration. That’s 9%.
Among them is the bridge carrying Main Street over Route 198, the bridge carrying Route 33 over the I-190, and the bridge carrying Route 219 over Abbott Road.
Sen. Chuck Schumer on Monday said $13 billion from the new federal infrastructure bill is coming to the state to help fix the problem.
“Imagine if they weren’t working anymore,” Schumer said during a stop in Rochester. “God forbid, if they collapsed on someone, but even if they didn’t this area would come to a grinding halt if people could no longer use the bridge.”
Rochester Rep. Joe Morelle attended as well, calling the conditions of New York's bridges and highways unacceptable. He said that deteriorating roads cost New Yorkers money every year.
Morelle called the investments in the bill historic and transformational, comparing it to one of the largest investments in American history.
“It's not since the New Deal and Franklin Roosevelt’s time that we’re talking about making the investments that we’re talking about here,” Morelle said.
Schumer said the bill includes enough money to cover most of the bridges in the state. He said a ranking system will determine which bridges are repaired first, and local leaders will decide which ones need the money.
