A lack of adequate investment in transportation and increasing inflation in construction costs could hamper New York’s ability to make needed improvements to its transportation network, the report stated.

The TRIP report, “New York Transportation by the Numbers: Providing a Modern, Sustainable Transportation System in the Empire State,” found that throughout New York, nearly half of major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor or mediocre condition, 10 % of locally and state-maintained bridges (20 feet or more in length) are rated poor/structurally deficient, traffic congestion is choking commuting and commerce, and the state’s traffic fatality rate has increased significantly since 2019. TRIP also released detailed reports on major markets in New York State, including the New York City metro and Mid-Hudson regions.

Driving on New York roads that are deteriorated, congested and that lack some desirable safety features costs New York drivers a total of $40.3 billion each year and as much as $3,755 per driver in some areas. TRIP has calculated the cost to the average motorist in the state’s largest urban areas in the form of additional vehicle operating costs (VOC) as a result of driving on rough roads, the cost of lost time and wasted fuel due to congestion, and the financial cost of traffic crashes. The statewide cost to drivers has increased 44% since 2022, when it totaled $28 billion.

Due to a lack of funding, 45% of major state and locally-owned roads New York are in poor or mediocre condition. Driving on rough roads costs the average New York driver $718 annually in extra vehicle operating costs—a total of $8.8 million statewide. Extra vehicle operating costs include accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear.

“New York’s transportation dollars are already being stretched thin by increased inflation in construction costs, and declining capital investments in the state and local transportation networks will make it harder to complete needed improvements,” said Dave Kearby, TRIP’s executive director. “It will be critical that the state adequately invest in its transportation network in order to provide a system that is smooth, safe and efficient.”

Construction and business-related organizations are advocating for increased funding in NYSDOT’s core and CHIPs programs. In Region 8 (the Hudson Valley) a coalition of state legislators, along with members of the building trades and the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc. are pressing Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature for an increase to the NYSDOT Capital Plan of $950 million and in the Consolidated Local and Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) by $250 million for a total of $648.1 million. The NYSDOT’s five-year Capital Plan now stands at $34.1 billion. 

Other groups are also calling for significant hikes in transportation capital spending. 

“A strong focus on infrastructure investment is crucial to New York’s regional, national, and global competitiveness,” said Bruce Barkevitch, president and CEO of New York Construction Materials Association. “Now is the time for state leaders to make a meaningful commitment by increasing core NYSDOT funding by $950 million and local infrastructure funding by $250 million to reverse system deterioration and deliver safer, more reliable roads and bridges for all New Yorkers.”

“Flat funding in the face of skyrocketing costs is effectively a cut that will result in crumbling infrastructure and huge preventable out-year replacement costs,” said Town of Clarence Highway Superintendent James A. Dussing, president of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways. “We need additional state investments now, which is why our association is requesting a $250-million increase for the CHIPS program in this year’s state budget.”

From 2023 to 2024, NYSDOT’s capital investment in pavement and bridge conditions, mobility and safety dropped by nearly $262 million, declining from $3.36 billion to $3.1 billion—a decrease of 8%. Capital spending declined in six of NYSDOT’s 11 regions, with reductions of up to 70% in some regions. Meanwhile, the need for repairs is growing: 270 miles of state-maintained roadway required reconstruction in 2023, up from 142 miles in 2022. Overall, 73% of state-maintained pavements need some level of treatment, at an estimated cost of $7.76 billion. Needed improvements to county—and locally owned bridges—just over half of the state’s bridge inventory—total nearly $29 billion.

A total of 10% (1,741 of 17,666) of New York’s bridges are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition, the 10th highest share in the nation. Bridges that are rated poor/structurally deficient have significant deterioration of the bridge deck, supports or other major components. Fifty-eight percent of the state’s bridges are rated in fair condition and the remaining 32% are in good condition.

Congested roads cost the state’s drivers $20 billion annually in lost time and wasted fuel cost the average driver up to 99 annual hours of delay in some areas, according to the TRIP report. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, vehicle travel in New York dropped by as much as 45% in April 2020 (as compared to vehicle travel during the same month the previous year). By 2024, vehicle miles of travel in New York had rebounded to two percent below 2019’s pre-pandemic levels. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) estimates that vehicle travel in New York will increase by 23% by 2040.

Traffic crashes in New York claimed the lives of 6,529 people between 2019 and 2024. The financial impact of traffic crashes in which the lack of adequate roadway safety features, while not the primary factor, were likely a contributing factor, was a total of $11.5 billion statewide. New York traffic fatalities began to increase dramatically in 2020 even as vehicle travel rates plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of fatalities continued to increase in 2021 and 2022 before falling in 2023 and 2024. While the state’s traffic fatality rate decreased 15% from 2021 to 2024, New York’s traffic fatality rate in 2024 was still 15% higher than a decade ago.

Rising vehicle fuel efficiency, increasing adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles and inflation in highway construction costs will make it difficult for revenue from state and federal motor fuel taxes and other transportation funding sources to keep pace with New York’s future transportation needs, the report found.

Increasing inflation has also hampered New York’s ability to complete needed projects and improvements, as the available funding now covers significantly less work. Based on the Consumer Price Index, it is estimated that inflation has eroded $3.8 billion of New York’s core construction funding over the last five years (SFY 2021-22 – SFY 2025-26). The Federal Highway Administration’s national highway construction cost index, which measures labor and materials cost, increased by 47% from the beginning of 2022 through the first half of 2025.

“The TRIP report sheds needed light on the fact that New York State roads and bridges urgently need upkeep, repair, and in many cases, replacement,” said John Evers, president and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York. “Pavement conditions continue to deteriorate, one in 10 bridges are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition, and vehicle operating costs are steadily rising. ACEC New York and its member engineering firms are committed to working with state and local officials to seek a continued increase in public funding required to address needed upkeep and repair of our state’s traffic infrastructure.”