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, 60, 754 and 235, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1, Ironworkers Local 40, UA Local 21 Plumbers & Steamfitters, Sheet Metal Workers Local 38,  Carpenters Local 279 and Teamsters Local 456.

Mr. Cooney thanked 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.

Mr. Loughlin said, “Our roadway infrastructure, which serves as the state’s lifeblood of the transportation network, is severely outdated and in dire need of major capital investments in New York State Region 8. I’m confident that the governor will recognize we must continue to address these deficiencies, as they limit the region’s economic potential and put residents’ safety at risk. By maintaining important capital investments this year in our roadways and transportation infrastructure, we can provide good paying jobs and strengthen our communities for the future.”

Todd Diorio, president of the Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades Council and the Business Manager of the Eastern New York Laborers’ District Council, said, “Robust investment in New York’s transportation infrastructure is critical for motorist safety, job creation and maintaining the structural integrity of the state’s roads and bridges. We call on Gov. Hochul and the New York State Legislature to continue to prioritize transportation funding in the state budget process.”

Also, the number of its repaved lane miles dropped by almost half in two years, from 430 miles in 2022 to 245 miles in 2024. Region 8 also has the worst repaving cycle in the state. It takes 16 years on average for state roadways to be repaved here, while the repaving cycle is only 12 years in the rest of the state.

A host of state elected officials support the industry’s push for more road funding. “While there has been an appreciable commitment to funding road and transportation infrastructure repairs by Gov. Hochul these past few years, now is the time to continue this momentum,” said Sen. Harckham. “This is especially true for the Hudson Valley region, which has more state roads in greater need of repair than anywhere else in New York. If we are serious about wanting to preserve our quality of life, foster economic growth and create good paying jobs, then we need to make the critical investments necessary to ensure the safety and viability of our roadways.”

“I stand with my colleagues and union leaders to urge Governor Kathy Hochul to make a long-overdue investment in the Hudson Valley and DOT Region 8 and to revisit the current 5-year capital plan to reflect critical infrastructure needs,” said Sen. Mayer. “For far too long, this region has been shortchanged, resulting in some of the poorest road conditions in the entire state. I will continue to be outspoken in my effort to get projects approved that have been delayed for too long, particularly those in my Senate district. I thank Senator Pete Harckham for his leadership, IUOE Local 137 for hosting, and my colleagues and union friends for their continued partnership.”

A 2025 report from TRIP, a national transportation research organization, concluded that poor road and bridge conditions cost motorists $38 billion annually due to vehicle damage, crashes and traffic: a veritable “pothole tax” that few families can afford. The report also notes that delaying repairs ends up increasing costs for state and local governments exponentially more: every $1 of deferred maintenance costs an additional $4-$5 in needed future repairs.