Erie County is rolling out its plan for road improvements in 2026, with just over $50 million in funds.
One of the major inclusions is $3 million to redo around two miles of Maple Road in Amherst.
It could cost $2 million for repairs on a bridge that’s 100 or less feet long, said Bill Geary, Erie County Department of Public Works commissioner. But he adds that the upkeep is key because any issues will greatly affect traffic.
“That bridge being out of service or closed really affects emergency services in the redirection. Not just of people getting to and from their houses or work but really responding in an emergency," he said. "So, we try to do these repairs and keep the bridge open and extend the life of them beyond, you know, 50 years.”
More than half of the money being invested this year is directly from county funds.
Improvements are a major undertaking since there are so many miles to cover, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said.
"If you created a one-lane road from Buffalo and head west, you basically get to the Rockies. That's how many lane miles of road we have, which is, you've heard me say this in the past, is actually more than three states have," he said. "Erie County owns and controls than the states of Delaware, Rhode Island and Hawaii each have."
One extra challenge for Public Works is the lasting effects from winter, since the heavy freeze-thaw cycle can widen cracks and make crews wait longer to start repairs.
