NEW WINDSOR — Federal and county officials sounded off on the importance of the Moving Forward Act, a bill that would include $12 billion of federal funding for New York, $2 billion of which would be devoted to the repair of subpar bridge infrastructure.
Officials made the announcement Thursday at the site of the Moodna Creek Bridge, on Route 9W in New Windsor, which is one of many state bridges that are considered to be in poor condition.
The $500 billion federal bill to fund surface transport provides localities with infrastructure funding that doesn’t require a local match, an especially advantageous and necessary facet during the COVID 19 crisis where municipalities’ budgeting is precarious.
Congressman Sean Maloney (D, NY-18) said if this bill is passed, it is feasible that all of the New York bridges requiring repairs could be fixed by 2021.
“With a couple billion dollars, you could fix hundreds of structurally deficient bridges in New York and that’s what’s so exciting about it,” said Maloney. “All these local county bridges that have neglected forever, that often weren’t eligible for funds, that would have required local communities to spend money now can be fixed with federal money if we pass this bill into law,” he said.
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said although bridges like the one over the Moodna Creek are still considered safe for travel, they have not been repaired since the first half of the 20th century and are very close to being classified as unsafe.
Drastic reduction in sales tax revenue and COVID 19 related spending, such as on PPE for local hospitals and nursing homes, has put the county in a huge deficit where they simply won’t have the money to update infrastructure in their budgets without federal assistance.
“The consequences of the economy being so badly damaged, the over $1 million a week that we’re losing in sales tax, has made Orange County government as well as local towns, villages and cities recalibrate what their budget was for this year,” said Neuhaus. “Those budgets are out the window. We have cut back on spending on things that we would normally have planned on in the budget,” he said.
The Moving Forward Act has passed through the House and is now awaiting Senate approval.
