KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive
Michael Hein Tuesday detailed what he called “the
unprecedented investment” in county roads and bridges.
He has included $3.5 million in his 2015 county budget to leverage over
$10 million to fund projects to repair, upgrade and replace roads and
bridges throughout the county.
Plans include increasing safety by widening road shoulders for pedestrian
and bike use, using new geo-stabilization technology to avoid hillside
collapses, and providing temporary co-located bridges in some highly populated
areas to reduce negative economic impacts.
Hein said the investment is made possible because of his administration’s
“fiscal responsibility” over the past six years.
“The great infrastructure that was built out in the ‘50s and
‘60s is coming toward the end of its useful life and reality is
for many years there wasn’t appropriate financing and appropriate
investment in these projects, and now we want to make it is possible.
And it has only been made possible because we really watched the pennies
and, we have been very fiscally responsible for the last six years and
because of that, we have identified the dollars necessary to be able to
make a huge county contribution and leverage it with other dollars as
well,” Hein said.
The nominee for county public works commissioner, Susan Plonski, said
the plan “is an important opportunity for the people of Ulster County”
and wants to bring in the work on time and on budget.
