The state department of transportation already has plans to pave several roads across Central New York next spring after the winter weather has done its damage. The DOT unveiled eight projects totaling nearly $11 million from funding set aside for roadways affected by or vulnerable to extreme weather. Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez says their workload has increased alongside the ravages of climate change.
“We are experiencing more impacts of not just freezing and thawing, but also wind, flooding, downed trees, all of the things that we now see all at once, intense rainfalls, intense snowfalls in tighter periods of time than we've seen before.”
Projects include repaving portions of Route 174 in Marcellus and Camillus, and parts of Route 104 in Oswego County. State Fair Boulevard in front of the fairgrounds will also be resurfaced, and Dominguez says it complements another project that improves safety at the entrance gates.
“What we're looking at is eliminating three of the at grade rail crossings and installing new gates and new traffic lights," Dominguez said. "That project, which is being funded with the help of an $11 million federal grant from the Federal Rail Administration, is currently in the design stages at New York State DOT.”
In all, the state has allocated $100 million for 70 projects state-wide due to be tackled by spring.
