State Awards Millions for Environmentally-Friendly Transit Projects
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New York State is awarding $178.8 million in federal funds to 75 communities across the state that promote environmentally-friendly carbon-neutral transportation projects, including six in Westchester.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado and state Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez visited the Hartsdale Fire Department along with local, county and state officials to make the announcement Thursday afternoon. The money is derived from the $1.2 trillion Build Back Better Act approved by Congress last year and doles out money to states for infrastructure improvements.
Dominguez said the projects focus on making walking, biking and hiking more accessible for New Yorkers, representing Gov. Kathy Hochul’s commitment to the environment and to emphasize modes of transportation other than cars.
“She’s not only leveraging state dollars at record level amounts for transportation infrastructure, but she’s leveraging the federal dollars in a way that literally, truly invests in every community across the state of New York, and also allows us to put our forces, DOT forces, out in every community,” Dominguez said, “making sure that not only our infrastructure is safe and resilient and smart investments are being made, but we’re truly connecting communities in the best way possible to increase mobility, increase safety and really make the transportation network of the future work for everyone.”
The six Westchester projects, totaling about $17.4 million, is part of the $38.8 million assigned to the Mid-Hudson Region. Work includes $5 million in Greenburgh to construct sidewalks and pedestrian crossings along the East and West Hartsdale Avenue corridor; $3,045,266 to Briarcliff Manor for sidewalks, traffic calming measures and pedestrian crossings along Pleasantville Road, North State Road and Delton Lane; and $3,617,424 to the Town of Cortlandt to construct sidewalks, bike lanes and streetscape improvements along Westbrook Drive.
The county’s other projects are nearly $4 million for the Village of Mamaroneck to install sidewalks, curbs, traffic calming measures and pedestrian crossings along Halstead Avenue, $958,000 for New Rochelle to build ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps, pedestrian signals and push buttons at various locations and $785,000 to Hastings-on-Hudson for a sidewalk, curbs and a pedestrian bridge adjacent to Route 9.
Lance MacMillan, the DOT’s Region 8 Director, which includes the Mid-Hudson Region, said the money is provided in the form of a grant to the municipalities and represents 80 percent funding for the projects. Each city, town or village is responsible to come up with the remaining 20 percent and bid the project.
The DOT will provide support and guidance as needed, he said.
Delgado said the money is part of the administration’s pledge to make meaningful investments that will help the state and its residents.
“This funding is available for all regions across New York State and another example of our commitment to making smart investments today that will benefit New Yorkers for generations to come,” Delgado said.
For the Town of Greenburgh, the work is crucial considering that there are residential streets off of East and West Hartsdale Avenue where commuters live, many of whom and would like to get to the train station without a car, said Supervisor Paul Feiner. Equally important, the thoroughfare has three high schools, Maria Regina, Solomon Schechter and Woodlands, and the sidewalks will make conditions safter for students, he said.
“This will be the most significant health and safety initiative in town history where you have so many neighborhoods where people will want to walk to the train station, where people would want to go shop on Central Avenue, where people would want to go on (Route) 119,” Feiner said. “Now people will be able to walk.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers), Assemblyman Tom Abinanti (D-Pleasantville) and County Executive George Latimer all lauded how different levels of government worked together to coordinate major initiatives that will improve quality of life.
Latimer said that sometimes obtaining money for Westchester for key projects is difficult because there’s the perception around the state that all communities are affluent.
“From a county perspective, we were appreciative to have the state as a partner to be able to do projects all across the county and to see it over a wide scope,” he said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/