ROAD AID: Yonkers’ Democratic Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senator Shelley Mayer, as well as, Democratic Assemblymen J Gary Pretlow and Nader Sayegh Needs To Fix The Flat Rate New York State Highway Maintenance Shortfall That Yonkers Gets Year After Year After Year

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Yonkers doesn’t want to do away with the underfunded road aid agreement with New York. It is a “win-win” situation for both entities. The state saves money by not having to handle the day-to-day maintenance of their highways in the city while the city benefits from not having to wait for maintenance to be done by the state. But Albany should increase what is given to Yonkers for the work.

It has been 32 years since state officials increased the amount of funding provided to Yonkers for maintaining state arterial highways, which has been too long for Yonkers and cities across New York

During the annual winter meeting of the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM), from 38 cities that have deals with the state officials to maintain arterial highways once called for the amount of funding to increase to be aligned with the consumer price index.

They want it increased for the first time since 1987.

Yonkers and the 37 other cities that maintain state arterial highways want a $12 million increase that would have a small impact on the $160 billion state budget.

Yonkers currently get 85 cents per a square yard to maintain state highways.

If increased to the cost of living allowance, Yonkers would receive $1.87 per square yard.

The cities that maintain state arterial highways say it’s only a $12 million impact on the $160 billion state budget.

More than doubling what Yonkers receives from Albany to maintain state roads.

That would increase Yonkers’State Road Aid to $939,564.

Yonkers currently only receives $427,074 from the state.

Yonkers has 502,441 square yards of state arterial highways, which ranks second in the state behind New York City at 7,999,975 square yards

The maintenance agreement includes plowing snow; small repairs and resurfacing; work on gutters, curbs, sidewalks and drainage systems; and street lighting,

The state handles construction and major repair and resurfacing work.

If the increase was accepted by the state legislature, Yonkers and NYCOM is also asking that the rate per square yard be annually be adjusted to reflect the consumer price index.