Stimulus Cash To Be Used To Fix Highways Around Queens

Millions of dollars in federal stimulus money allocated to New York State will be used to repair overpasses along the Belt, Grand Central and Jackie Robinson parkways as well as a number of expressways running through Brooklyn and Queens.

Gov. David A. Paterson announced last Thursday, June 11, that $7.1 million in federal aid allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will be used to perform concrete, steel and joint repairs on bridges exhibiting structural deterioration in all five boroughs of New York City.

In all, the projects are expected to create an estimated 170 jobs. Earlier this month, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) awarded $328 million to New York City for highway and bridge contracts this fiscal year and $75 million in additional funds through the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program. This will bring the city's total highway and bridge funding for fiscal year 2009-10 to more than $771 million.

"These construction projects will go a long way to make our roadways safer and get New Yorkers back to work," Paterson said. "Thanks to the efforts of President Obama and the entire New York State Congressional Delegation, we have the means to invest in a stronger, more prosperous future."

According to the governor's office, repairs will be done on the Belt Parkway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Brooklyn and on the Belt, Grand Central and Jackie Robinson parkways and the Brooklyn Queens, Long Island and Van Wyck expressways in Queens.

All of the repairs are scheduled to be completed by December 2011.

The economic recovery funds New York will receive for transportation projects must follow the same process required for distributing all federal transportation funds. The money is allocated to projects that are selected by the 13 regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) across the state, which are comprised of local elected officials, local transit operators and NYSDOT representatives. The organizations vote unanimously on projects for their Transportation Improvement Program, and the projects are then eligible to receive economic-recovery funds.

Similarly, regions of New York State without MPOs are served by NYSDOT, which consults with local elected officials and selects projects for the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. NYSDOT worked with local officials and the Governor's Economic Recovery Cabinet to identify priority shovelready projects eligible for recovery funds.

For more information, visit the state recovery website, recovery .ny.gov.