Transportation, Department of

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Agency Web Site: https://www.dot.ny.gov/index

Mission

It is the mission of the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure its customers – those who live, work and travel in New York State – have a safe, efficient, balanced, and environmentally sound transportation system.

The DOT directly maintains and improves the State’s approximately 43,700 State highway lane miles and nearly 7,900 bridges. In addition, the Department partially funds locally-operated transit systems, local government highway and bridge construction, and rail, airport, and canal programs.

Organization and Staffing

The Department is headed by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation. The Department’s main office is in Albany, with 11 regional offices in Schenectady, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Hornell, Watertown, Poughkeepsie, Binghamton, Hauppauge, and New York City. The Department also maintains highway maintenance and equipment repair facilities across the State.

Employees of the Department perform such activities as highway maintenance, snow and ice removal, highway and bridge design, and construction inspection. In addition, the Department’s staff inspects school and charter buses, regulates commercial transportation, oversees public transportation systems and State-owned airports, and provides administrative support for the Department.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2022 Executive Budget recommends $10.7 billion for the Department, a decrease of $1.3 billion from the FY 2021 budget. This year-to-year change primarily reflects anticipated reductions in revenues that support statewide transit systems, adjustments to reflect the composition of the FY 2022 portion of the 2-year DOT Capital Plan, and one-time appropriations in FY 2021.

The FY 2022 Executive Budget includes a workforce of 8,182 FTEs for the Department..

Major budget actions include:

• DOT Capital Plan: Building on unprecedented DOT investments, the Executive Budget continues the second year of a record two-year, $11.9 billion DOT Capital Plan that ensures stronger State and local roads and bridges for years to come. This record level of investment provides DOT with resources necessary to renew, modernize and continue to drive economic development in local communities. The shorter, 2-year Capital Plan is proposed due to Federal funding uncertainty. The Federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act was extended for one year and is now set to expire on September 30, 2021.

• Transit Operating Support: The Executive Budget contains appropriations sufficient to provide operating support totaling over $5.7 billion to statewide transit systems. The MTA will receive $5.2 billion (through a combination of appropriated and non-appropriated resources), and other transit systems both Upstate and Downstate will receive $544 million of annual operating assistance. The Budget once again includes an $11 million appropriation for transit service over the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, and also includes the second year ($20 million) of a $100 million, five year program to electrify buses throughout the State, with a goal of 25% electric buses used by five major transit systems by 2025.

• Highway and Bridges: Capital Aid to Local Governments for highway and bridge projects is preserved at FY 2021 levels, with $438.1 million provided for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and $39.7 million for the Marchiselli program. The Executive Budget also continues the State’s commitment to providing $100 million for local bridge projects through the BRIDGE NY program, and $100 million for local highway improvements through the PAVE NY program.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Transportation (PDF)

Program Highlights

Highway Construction and Maintenance: Improving the State’s vital transportation infrastructure remains the agency’s highest priority. During FY 2020, DOT replaced or rehabilitated more than 100 State bridges and completed almost 5,000 corrective and preventive bridge treatments to slow deterioration. In addition, approximately 2,600 lane miles of State highway were resurfaced or reconstructed.

Engineering: State staff and private-sector consultants perform the planning, property acquisition, design engineering, environmental reviews, surveying, materials and soils testing, and construction inspection necessary to deliver the Department’s capital program.

Local Highway Aid: The State makes a significant investment in helping localities maintain safe roads and bridges through the CHIPS, Marchiselli, BRIDGE NY and PAVE NY programs. The CHIPS program provides aid to cities, counties, towns and villages on a formula basis, while the Marchiselli program helps local governments meet required matching requirements on Federally funded projects. The BRIDGE NY and PAVE NY programs provide additional State aid for local bridge and highway projects.

Transportation Safety and Environmental Compliance: Department staff perform safety inspections of school buses throughout New York State. In addition, the Department administers safety and emissions inspections of commercial trucking on State highways, as well as a comprehensive program to ensure public safety along the State’s commercial rail corridors.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/19/2021