Click image to view the projects
KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Michael Hein detailed what he called “the unprecedented investment” in county roads and bridges on Tuesday. 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,” the county executive noted. “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.”
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.
The county legislature approved the spending plan at Tuesday’s monthly session. The legislature also approved multiple bonding resolutions funding individual projects.
