Bill > S08566

This bill requires the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct a comprehensive study on the fairness and regional equity of state funding for local roadway maintenance and paving. The study will analyze existing funding programs like CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program), State Touring Routes, PAVE-NY, and Pave Our Potholes (POP), evaluating how funding formulas are calculated, how money is distributed across different regions (including Long Island, Hudson Valley, New York City, upstate urban areas, and rural regions), and whether current programs adequately address the diverse infrastructure needs of different areas. The DOT must examine factors such as traffic volumes, weather impacts, infrastructure age, construction costs, and fiscal capacity, and compare New York's local road maintenance funding to other states. The study will also seek public input through hearings and stakeholder consultations and will include recommendations about potentially reinstating the Suburban Highway Improvement Program (SHIPS) or creating new funding streams. Within one year of the bill's effective date, the DOT commissioner must deliver a detailed written report to state legislative leaders, which will be publicly posted online and include funding distribution tables, per-lane-mile and per-capita comparisons, and summaries of public input. The bill will automatically expire one year after taking effect.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8566