Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) proposed an ambitious $275 billion infrastructure investment program for New York during his “state of the state” speech on January 21, with $87 billion of that program focused on transportation needs, including mass transit, railroads, airports, highways, bridges, and tunnels.

[Above photo by Darren McGee/Office of Governor Cuomo]

“This is the nation’s largest building program; building bigger than anything we’ve done before,” the governor said in his remarks, highlighting specific investment areas within his fiscal year 2021 budget proposal.

“We have exciting new projects: a $12 billion, two-year capital plan, including $5.8 billion for upstate roads and bridges; a $52 billion capital plan for the MTA [New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority]; $100 million to do a second round of upstate airports, where we will have effectively rebuilt all of upstate New York’s airports when we’re done. And $300 million to reimagine the Erie Canal,” he said.

“That’s what government does, and that’s what this government does,” Gov. Cuomo added. “We make progress happen. And people know it. And we do it together and we’re going to do it together this year.”