More than $21 Million in road repair funding for Buffalo in state budget
State Budget Includes a Historic $100 Million Increase to the CHIPS Program Over the Next Two Years – 9% Increase for Buffalo this Year
Buffalo Will Receive an Increase of More Than $500,000 in Total Road Repair Funding from Last Year’s Allocation
New York State Sena tors Sean Ryan and April Baskin and New York State Assemblymember Jon Rivera announced that the City of Buffalo will receive $21,613,629 million in road repair funding from New York State, which was included in the recently passed state budget for FY 2025 2026. This represents a $502,929 increase from last year.
Road repair funding from New York State is delivered to municipalities through five different programs, which have similar structures and goals. The main program is the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), which received a historic $100 million increase in funding in this year’s state budget, split up over the next two years. Other programs include Extreme Winter Recov ery (EWR), Program for the Advancement of Vehicles in NY (PAVE NY), Pave Our Potholes (POP) and the State Touring Routes Program (STR).
The funding allocated to the City of Buffalo in this year’s budget breaks down as follows:
CONSOLIDATED LOCAL STREET AND HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CHIPS)
$6,127,871.03
Increase of $494,959.14 (8.79%)
EXTREME WINTER RECOVERY (EWR)
$961,993.79
No change from last year
PROGRAM FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF VEHICLES IN NY (PAVE-NY)
$1,406,429.65
Increase of $4,780.53 (0.34%)
PAVE OUR POTHOLES (POP)
$937,619.76
Increase of $3,187.02 (0.34%)
STATE TOURING ROUTES PROGRAM (STR)
$12,179,715.52
No change from last year
This new funding will add to the road repair funding that New York State has allocated to the City of Buffalo that remains unspent. According to the New York State Department of Transportation, the City of Buffalo has more than $38 million in unspent road repair funds from previous state budgets.
Senator Sean Ryan said, “As always, New York State has stepped up to deliver critical funding to the City of Buffalo to fix our streets, fill potholes, and improve road conditions for drivers and pedestrians. This year we secured a historic increase in funding for the CHIPS program, which is delivering a huge increase in funding to the City of Buffalo. I urge the city to spend this money, and previously allocated money that remains unspent, as soon as possible. Every one in Buffalo knows we need to do more to fix up our roads, and thanks to support from New York State, the City of Buffalo will have the resources they need to make a difference.”
Senator April N.M. Baskin said “The City of Buffalo now has sig nificant resources avail able to repair our roads. My colleagues and I in the Senate successfully fought to add more mon ey for roads, resulting in almost a half-million dol lars in additional funds for Buffalo, which will help repave more streets than usual during this construction season. The timing is right, especially following this winter’s frequent freeze thaw cycles that multiplied the number of potholes.”
Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said, “Anyone who drives in Buffalo can attest to the fact that our city’s roads are in rough shape. Along with my colleagues in the Assem bly and Senate majori ties, we sought to change that in this year’s budget negotiations, and now the necessary funding is there for the City to use at its discretion. These investments, delivered through programs like CHIPS, PAVE-NY, and Extreme Winter Recov ery, will help us begin to address the years of wear and tear our streets have endured. The historic $100 million increase to the CHIPS program is essential to our com munities that deserve streets that are safe, reli able, and built to last.”