Governor Kathy Hochul announced on July 11 that more than 200 local bridge and culvert projects in New York will get a financial boost with a combined $484 million from the state’s BRIDGE NY initiative and the federal formula program bridges
BRIDGE NY focuses on projects to reduce flood risks and improve the resilience of structures to severe weather linked to climate change. It also aims to boost regional economic competitiveness and the benefits of environmental justice.
“As New York continues to experience the facts of climate change firsthand, we must make critical infrastructure upgrades so our communities can withstand the extreme weather to come,” Hochul said in a statement.
Most awards are under $6 million. Regionally, Western New York is slated to receive the most money from the program, $77.4 million, for 37 county- and municipal-owned projects.
The largest award for a single project is a $73.8 million package for four bridge replacements on Brooklyn’s Belt Parkway, each receiving more than $18 million.
Belt Parkway Bridge Replacements
This $220 million design-build project is needed to address some substandard road conditions and deterioration of existing bridges. It would replace the road bridges over Sheepshead Bay Road, Ocean Avenue, Bedford Avenue and Nostrand Avenue. The scope also includes some road widening, construction of retaining walls, embankment and drainage improvements and reconfiguration of the Nostrand Avenue bridge to remove pier columns that restrict the lane configuration, as shown in the procurement documents. It covers about 1 mile of road.
The New York City Department of Transportation has already shortlisted two bidders for this work: Posillico Civil Inc. and a joint venture of MLJ Contracting Corp. and CAC Industries. NYCDOT expects to award the contract later this year and issue a notice to proceed next spring for completion in 2028.
“Without the Belt Parkway, tens of thousands of New Yorkers would lose their ability to visit family, participate in the economy and access all that our city has to offer,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN .Y.) in a statement. . His district includes the stretch of Belt Parkway covered by the project.
Other awards through the BRIDGE NY initiative include $5.8 million to the County of St. Lawrence for the replacement of a bridge that carries Route 49 over the East Branch of the St. Regis, $5.2 million to Steuben County for the replacement of the Newcomb Road Bridge over Canisteo Creek and $5. million in Mount Kisco to replace the Preston Way Bridge over the Metro-North Railroad. A total of 216 projects owned by 137 local governments are expected to receive funding.
