SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $39 MILLION TO REHABILITATE WESTERN NY’S SOUTH GRAND ISLAND BRIDGES VIA THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE & JOBS LAW; STRENGTHENING INFRASTRUCTURE AGAINST EARTHQUAKES, CRITICAL REPAIRS, AND IMPROVEMENTS FOR BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIVITY ALONG THE BRIDGES

Just Days After NY Experienced An Earthquake, Schumer Delivers Funding To Make Critical Repairs To Ensure The Structural Integrity Of WNY’s South Grand Island Bridges During Potential Seismic Events, And Make Other Essential Upgrades

Western NY Will Also Receive A $1.6M Grant Through The Same Program To Boost Emergency Response Plans During Severe Weather In Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties

Schumer: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Is Bridging The Gap For Long Needed Repairs For Vital Western NY Connection To The Mainland

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced $39,000,000 to strengthen the infrastructure of Western NY’s South Grand Island Bridges and make critical upgrades to protect against seismic events like earthquakes. In addition, the senator also announced $1.6 million to bolster emergency response plans for Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties to keep communities safe during severe weather. The funding comes from the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Grant program, which was funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law.

“Western NY’s South Grand Island Bridges are lifelines for Niagara Falls and Tonawanda, connecting communities to the mainland and carrying thousands of cars every day. But age and deterioration have taken a toll on many sections of the bridge, and recent events, from the earthquake we experienced downstate to the tragic bridge collapse in Baltimore, have brought the need to make repairs to this vital corridor for Western NY to the top of mind. That is why I am proud to deliver a whopping $39 million to help rehabilitate the South Grand Island Bridges and bolster resilient infrastructure needed to maintain these vital corridors for Western NY,” said Senator Schumer. “This substantial funding means safer bridges, good-paying construction jobs, better bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and is exactly the kind of long overdue investments I had in mind when I lead the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Act to passage.”

Schumer added, “I am also proud to deliver $1.6 million in federal funding to strengthening Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties emergency response planning against snowstorms when it comes to vulnerabilities around roadways and public transit in Western NY. Buffalo and Western NY have experienced some of the worst blizzards in recent years from lake effect snow and robust planning for extreme weather before it happens is essential to keeping our residents and emergency responders safe. Today’s funding is about building a more resilient future for all of Western NY, and ensuring we have the infrastructure and plans to help our region take on any emergency and continue to grow.”

“With support from the Biden-Harris Administration and our congressional delegation, New York has made historic investments in our infrastructure,” Governor Hochul said. “These funds are critical to improving resiliency on essential bridges to Western New York's economy, and improving emergency response coordination in a region prone to extreme weather.” 

"This funding will ensure the safety and stability of one of Western New York's most important domestic bridges that is responsible for more than 70,000 crossings every day," said NYS Senator Tim Kennedy. "With one of the Grand Island South Bridges dating back nearly 90 years to 1935, this significant level of maintenance and improvement will keep Western New Yorkers safe and on the move for decades to come. I was proud to support the Thruway Authority's application for this funding, and I want to especially recognize the vision and commitment of Majority Leader Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Secretary Buttigieg.”

“Hardening bridge infrastructure to guard against potential disaster makes great sense but is costly and I thank Senator Schumer for acting quickly to protect the very important Grand Island bridges, which are critical not only to Erie County but to New York State and Canada as well,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. “These spans carry millions of vehicles annually and are vital to tourism and trade as well as to local motorists. As we have seen recently in Baltimore, bridge catastrophes can happen in seconds but have long-lasting impacts. This award is great news for everyone using these bridges.”

Project descriptions can be found below:

Schumer’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Grant program to provide funding to ensure surface transportation resilience to natural hazards including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure. The PROTECT program provides $1.4 billion in funding over 5 years. The BIL includes around $550 billion in new federal investment to repair, rebuild, and modernize America’s bridges, transit systems, water infrastructure, and more.

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