Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger said making sure county-owned bridges are in good shape is a top priority. That’s a mindset more local officials around New York will have to share, following a report that shows the state is lagging behind most states in terms of bridge quality.
“We’re in the top five in terms of the number of bridges,” Metzger said of the county. “We have the Catskills, we have just many streams, tributaries to the Hudson and the like. So just the sheer number of bridges, it’s a lot for a rural county to have to improve. But we have to do it.”
That report by state comptroller Tom DiNapoli, found that nearly 9% of bridges in New York were in poor condition, going back to 2023 reports. Ulster County’s high bridge total means it also has more poorly rated ones: over 40. That number includes bridges owned by the county, local towns and villages and state DOT and Thruway Authority. DiNapoli says there are a number of reasons behind the deterioration of New York’s bridges.
“There’s no question we’ve had more extreme weather conditions all across our state,” DiNapoli said. “There’s no question up until recently, there hasn’t been as much money available for improvement. So I think it’s a combination of factors.”
State governments’ response has been the Bridge NY Program, which gets federal and state dollars to local municipalities for bridge repair. Since 2017, the program has allocated nearly $1.7 billion in funds, but those working to address the issue on the ground say more investment is needed.
“The state has put more money into the Bridge New York program,” DiNapoli said. “I think continuing that as a priority item as we move forward with future budgets and letting localities know how they can access this money, I think that would be a smart way that the state can help localities.”
In Ulster County, repairs are already underway at some of the poorly rated bridges. But it’s going to take continued work with state partners to get help fixing more of them.
“We are constantly advocating for more, and we understand it’s a huge state,” Metzger said. “New York state is a huge state. We have a lot of infrastructure to invest in. But, you know, this is the nuts and bolts of what government has to pay for.”
