SCHUMER GETS GREENLIGHT FOR UTICA! FOLLOWING HIS PUSH, SENATOR SECURES $1.8+ MILLION TO FIX UTICA’S INFAMOUSLY OUTDATED TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND MAKE SAFETY UPGRADES ALONG GENESEE STREET

Utica Has Been Trying For Years To Pilot A Network of Smart Traffic Signals Along Genesee Street – Which Is Heavily Traveled Each Day By Thousands Of Vehicles & Pedestrians – And Feds Finally Deliver Funding Needed Following Schumer’s Advocacy & Personal Call To Secretary Buttigieg

Funding Comes From U.S. Transportation Department’s Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Program Created By Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law Schumer Led To Passage In Senate

Schumer: New Traffic Lights Put Utica In Fast Lane For Less Traffic & Safer Future

Following his push earlier this year, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today announced he has secured $1,809,957 via the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law to fix the infamous and outdated Genesee Street traffic signals in the City of Utica. Schumer said Utica plans to pilot the latest in smart-traffic signals along Genesee Street, which local officials say will reduce traffic and accidents while strengthening safety for motorists and pedestrians along this busy corridor.

“I’m proud to announce the feds have officially greenlit funding to fix traffic lights on Utica’s Genesee Street! Every Utican knows that these traffic lights can be frustrating and outright dangerous and for years the City of Utica has been developing a plan to fix it. That’s why I urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for funding to increase safety in Utica & revamp this corridor with a new network of cutting-edge, smart-traffic signals,” said Senator Schumer. “New traffic lights are putting Utica in the fast lane to decrease traffic, accidents, and wait times. I created the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation grant program in my Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law because I knew we have the technology to pave the way for a smoother and safer commute for all, and I’m thrilled that it’s delivering for Utica today.”

Michael P. Galime, Mayor, City of Utica said, “Senator Schumer’s unwavering commitment to this long-overlooked issue has paved the way for a transformative moment in Utica’s history. With the award of the SMART grant pilot funding, we are now poised to implement state-of-the-art smart grid technology along Genesee Street—marking the beginning of a comprehensive modernization of Utica’s signaling infrastructure. This milestone signals a brighter future for our city, enhancing public safety, improving community well-being, and laying the groundwork for a fully connected smart grid system. As Utica experiences a renaissance of redevelopment, these advancements are a critical step toward a more efficient, sustainable, and thriving urban center.”

Schumer said this federal funding allows the City of Utica to move forward with plans to upgrade its traffic signals. Schumer said the aging stop lights on Genesee Street have plagued Utica residents for years. Phase one of the city’s planned multi-phase upgrade was completed in 2012, but unfortunately officials later reported that there was not enough funding for traffic signal synchronization or timing. Over a decade later, many Genesee Street traffic signals are still out-of-time and frustrating Uticans every day. It can take 15 minutes or more to travel the length of Genesee Street in a car, causing traffic delays that drive vehicles off the city’s main drag and onto side streets.

This federal funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant program, which was created by his Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law.  Schumer personally called U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg advocating for the project and followed up with a letter that can be found here.

With funding, Schumer said Utica will be able to install and pilot dozens of new, state-of-the-art, smart traffic signals along a 2-mile street of Genesee Street and a continuous 5-block offshoot of Bleecker and Elizabeth Streets, supporting key partner locations like Utica Fire Station #2, Utica’s nationally recognized refugee agency (The Center), Utica’s public transit hub (CENTRO), the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and more. Utica’s smart traffic signals will include long sought after synchronization, connectivity, and other smart city features, including:

• Emergency preemption with multi-level right of way for fire, police, snowplow, and transit vehicles
• 360-degree video detection for vehicles and pedestrians
• Pedestrian crossing accessibility features, such as audio / visual cues and passive detection
• Data collection and analysis tools to enhance planning, engineering, management and traffic study

According to the NYS Sheriff’s Association, 38% of pedestrian-involved crashes and nearly 20% of all crashes in the City of Utica occur along this corridor. Schumer highlighted that the city expects new smart signals to have a wide range of benefits, including improving emergency response times, reducing traffic and wait times at traffic lights, and strengthening safety to reduce pedestrian injuries and crashes.

Mark Williams, Utica Chief of Police & Scott Ingersol, Utica Fire Chief said, “The award of the SMART grant pilot funding is a game-changer for public safety in Utica. With the implementation of advanced smart city technology along Genesee Street, we’re not only modernizing our traffic signaling system but also significantly enhancing our ability to protect and serve the community. These upgrades will improve emergency response times for police, fire, and ambulance services, while also ensuring safer streets for pedestrians and drivers alike. Additionally, as we modernize our infrastructure, this system will provide invaluable support for essential public works operations such as snow plowing and street maintenance. This marks a critical step in building a safer, more resilient Utica as we embrace the future of urban redevelopment. On behalf of Utica’s Police and Fire, we thank Senator Schumer for fighting to ensure that our city has the modern transportation infrastructure needed to support our exceptional police officers and firefighters in keeping our community safe.”

Nicholas F. Laino, Board of Members Chairman, CENTRO said, “Genesee St. is the heartbeat of Utica. It is CENTRO’s busiest corridor providing thousands of rides to Utica residents each week. Now, because of Senator Schumer’s tireless advocacy, Genesee St. will finally receive the upgrade we have all waited decades for. Smart, synchronized traffic signalization along the Genesee St. corridor will improve the reliability and on-time performance of CENTRO’s bus service, which will in turn improve the usability of our system, increase our ridership, and strengthen transportation access across the Mohawk Valley. It will also decrease idling time for all CENTRO vehicles, including our buses, which will decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in our community. On behalf of CENTRO, our riders, and as a lifelong member of greater Utica, I thank Senator Schumer for delivering and look forward to the new and improved Genesee St.”

Edward Welsh, CEO, CABVI said, “As all Uticans know, the traffic lights downtown are terrible, antiquated, and stressful for motorists and pedestrians. They are also particularly unsafe for the blind, visually impaired, and other communities with disabilities. News of this award is very good for people with vision loss in Utica, particularly around CABVI’s facilities on Kent and Elizabeth Streets downtown. Public protection is one of Senator Schumer’s top priorities, for which we are grateful. This is one of those rare projects that simultaneously improves traffic and pedestrian safety while cutting reaction time for first responders utilizing one of Utica’s busiest streets. CABVI and the communities we serve thank Senator Schumer for his hard work to bring smart, accessible traffic signals to the City of Utica.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act included $100 million appropriated annually over five years (FY22-26) for the SMART grant program, which was established to provide grants to eligible public sector agencies to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems in order to improve transportation efficiency and safety.

Schumer has long been a champion for transportation projects in the City of Utica. This past June, Senator Schumer delivered $4,613,276 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded Federal Highway Administration Transpiration Alternatives Program for the City of Utica’s Broad Street Corridor Project. In 2022, Schumer secured an $18.2 million grant through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program for Utica’s North Genesee Street Gateway Bridge & Multi-Modal Connector Project. In 2016, Schumer successfully unlocked $1.8 million in federal funds through the Federal Highway Administration and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) that were previously secured for an obsolete project and blocked for reuse.

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