Elected Officials, Contractors, Unions Unite In Call for $1.2B Boost to Budget for Roads
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MONTROSE, NY—Highway contractors and union officials have banded together this month as part of regional efforts to convince Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative officials to increase the State Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget by at least $1.2 billion to address the state’s transportation needs. The additional funding, they argued, is especially needed in the Hudson Valley’s Region 8 which has the worst-rated roads in the state.
On Jan. 9, a bipartisan group of elected officials and representatives from more than a dozen labor unions from the lower Hudson Valley called for increased road safety investments in the next State Budget at a press conference held at the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 137 Training Center in Montrose, NY. Additionally, there was a call for more equitable funding earmarked for New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 8, which encompasses the Hudson Valley.
New York State Senators Pete Harckham and Shelley Mayer were joined at the press conference by several members of the New York State Assembly, including Dana Levenberg, Steve Otis, MaryJane Shimsky and Matt Slater.
Jeff Loughlin, president of the Westchester Putnam Building and Construction Trades Council and business manager of IUOE Local 137, hosted the event with John T. Cooney, executive director of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc. based in Tarrytown, NY. Among the union leaders joining them were representatives from Laborers (LiUNA) Local 17, Laborers (LiUNA) Local 60, Laborers (LiUNA) Local 235, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1, Ironworkers Local 40, UA Local 21 Plumbers & Steamfitters, Sheet Metal Workers Local 38, Laborers (LiUNA) Local 754, Carpenters Local 279 and Teamsters Local 456.
State Sen. Pete Harckham at the podium with, from left, Sen. Shelley Mayer, Assemblymembers Matt Slater, MaryJane Shimsky, Steve Otis and Dana Levenberg, and flanked by construction union leaders.
Mr. Cooney thank Gov. Hochul and the members of the New York State Legislature for the $800 million in increased funding for NYSDOT’s core program in last year’s budget. “The CIC along with our partners in organized labor need to highlight the need for continued increased investment in New York State’s roads and bridges brought on by the over 30% inflation in construction materials post pandemic.”
He added, “But we are adamant that an increase of $950 million in NYSDOT’s core program is necessary to restore the buying power of the original NYSDOT Five Year Capital Plan. In addition, an increase of $250 million to CHIPS is needed to restore the buying power necessary to maintain our local roads and bridges.”
He concluded, “The Hudson Valley represented by NYSDOT Region 8 continues to have the worst road and bridge conditions in New York State while maintaining the largest amount of lane miles and largest number of bridges in New York State. Continuing the increased investment in New York’s roads and bridges in this year’s budget is a must for the Hudson Valley. This increased funding is sorely needed to improve the safety and conditions of the motoring public in the Hudson Valley.”
The woefulness of NYSDOT Region 8 roads was made clear in a report NYSDOT issued in August 2025. It said that Region 8 roads had the lowest percentage of “Good + Excellent” roads in the state—46.5%. The same is true with state and local bridge conditions: Region 8 is the worst in New York.
Speakers at the press conference acknowledged the victory achieved last year when they were able to work with the governor and deliver an increase to the NYSDOT Capital Plan of $800 million and in the Consolidated Local and Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) by $50 million for a total of $648.1 million. The NYSDOT’s five-year Capital Plan now stands at $34.1 billion.
