FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 29, 2026
Contact:
Rocky Moretti (202) 262-0714 (cell)
Carolyn Bonifas Kelly (703) 801-9212 (cell)
Click here for the full report, news conference recording, infographics and video interview footage with report authors.
UTICA AREA MOTORISTS LOSE MORE THAN $1,600 PER YEAR DRIVING ON ROADS THAT ARE ROUGH, CONGESTED & LACK SOME DESIRABLE SAFETY FEATURES – $40.3 BILLION STATEWIDE
Utica, NY – Roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested or lack some desirable safety features cost New York motorists a total of $40.3 billion statewide annually – $1,625 per driver in the Utica urban area – due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays. A lack of adequate investment in transportation and increasing inflation in construction costs could hamper New York’s ability to make needed improvements to its transportation network, according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, DC based national transportation research nonprofit.
The TRIP report, “New York Transportation by the Numbers: Providing a Modern, Sustainable Transportation System in the Empire State,” finds that throughout New York, nearly half of major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor or mediocre condition, ten percent of locally and state-maintained bridges (20 feet or more in length) are rated poor/structurally deficient, traffic congestion is choking commuting and commerce, and the state’s traffic fatality rate has increased significantly since 2019. The TRIP report includes statewide and regional pavement and bridge conditions, congestion data, highway safety data, and cost breakdowns for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, Binghamton, Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York-Newark-Jersey City, Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica urban areas.
Driving on roads in the Utica area costs the average driver $1,625 per year in the form of extra vehicle operating costs (VOC) as a result of driving on roads in need of repair, lost time and fuel due to congestion-related delays, and the costs of traffic crashes in which the lack of adequate roadway safety features, while not the primary factor, likely were a contributing factor. The statewide cost to drivers has increased 44 percent since 2022, when it totaled $28 billion. A breakdown of the costs per motorist in the state’s largest urban areas, along with a statewide total, is below.
The TRIP report finds that 28 percent of major locally and state-maintained roads in the Utica area are in poor or mediocre condition, costing the average motorist an additional $413 each year in extra vehicle operating costs, including accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear. Statewide, 45 percent of New York’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
In the Utica urban area, 12 percent of bridges are rated poor/structurally deficient, with significant deterioration to the bridge deck, supports or other major components. Statewide, ten percent of New York’s bridges are rated poor/structurally deficient, the tenth highest share in the nation.
“Flat funding in the face of skyrocketing costs is effectively a cut that will result in crumbling infrastructure and huge preventable out-year replacement costs,” said Town of Clarence Highway Superintendent James A. Dussing, president of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways. “We need additional state investments now, which is why our association is requesting a $250 million increase for the CHIPS program in this year’s state budget.”
Traffic congestion in the Utica area causes 29 annual hours of delay for the average motorist and costs the average driver $515 annually in lost time and wasted fuel. Utica drivers waste an average of six gallons of fuel per motorist annually due to congestion. Statewide, drivers lose $20 billion annually as a result of lost time and wasted fuel due to traffic congestion. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, vehicle travel in New York dropped by as much as 45 percent in April 2020 (as compared to vehicle travel during the same month the previous year). By 2024, vehicle miles of travel in New York had rebounded to two percent below 2019’s pre-pandemic levels. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) estimates that vehicle travel in New York will increase by 23 percent by 2040.
“New York’s transportation system is under growing strain as investment declines and costs rise,” said Joseph Alston, Senior Director of Government Affairs for The Business Council of New York State, Inc. “Modernizing New York’s transportation network is essential to protecting lives, controlling costs, and keeping the state competitive. Smart, sustained investment is the most cost-effective way to improve safety, restore affordability and protect the state’s economic future.”
Traffic crashes in New York claimed the lives of 6,529 people between 2019 and 2024. In the Utica area, on average, 20 people were killed in traffic crashes each year from 2019 to 2023. The financial impact of traffic crashes in which the lack of adequate roadway safety features, while not the primary factor, were likely a contributing factor, was an average of $697 annually per each Utica area driver – a total of $11.5 billion statewide. New York traffic fatalities began to increase dramatically in 2020 even as vehicle travel rates plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of fatalities continued to increase in 2021 and 2022 before falling in 2023 and 2024. While the state’s traffic fatality rate decreased 15 percent from 2021 to 2024, New York’s traffic fatality rate in 2024 was still 15 percent higher than a decade ago.
“In 2025, together the New York State Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority invested $3.6 billion in critical improvements to the state’s transportation infrastructure. AAA applauds those efforts and urges lawmakers to continue prioritizing transportation investments with aggressive, long‑term plans that promote safety and mobility on our roads,” said Elizabeth Carey, director of public relations at AAA Western and Central New York, speaking on behalf of AAA New York State. “All drivers and passengers deserve safe roads and bridges. These investments are essential not only for safety, but also for supporting New York’s economy.”
Rising vehicle fuel efficiency, increasing adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles and inflation in highway construction costs will make it difficult for revenue from state and federal motor fuel taxes and other transportation funding sources to keep pace with New York’s future transportation needs.
From 2023 to 2024, NYSDOT’s capital investment in pavement and bridge conditions, mobility and safety dropped by nearly $262 million, declining from $3.36 billion to $3.1 billion – a decrease of eight percent. Capital spending declined in six of NYSDOT’s 11 regions, with reductions of up to 70 percent in some regions. Meanwhile, the need for repairs is growing: 270 miles of state-maintained roadway required reconstruction in 2023, up from 142 miles in 2022. Overall, 73 percent of state-maintained pavements need some level of treatment, at an estimated cost of $7.76 billion. Needed improvements to county- and locally owned bridges – just over half of the state’s bridge inventory – total nearly $29 billion.
“As freight volumes increase and businesses depend on faster, more precise logistics, New York’s inability to invest at a level that keeps pace with inflation threatens our competitiveness,” said Mark Eagan, president & CEO of the Capital Region Chamber and Center for Economic Growth (CEG). “Sustained and predictable funding is essential to completing the projects that reduce transport costs, support jobs, attract business investment, and keep our region’s economy growing.”
Increasing inflation has hampered New York’s ability to complete needed projects and improvements, as the available funding now covers significantly less work. Based on the Consumer Price Index, it is estimated that inflation has eroded $3.8 billion of New York’s core construction funding over the last five years (SFY 2021-22 – SFY 2025-26). The Federal Highway Administration’s national highway construction cost index, which measures labor and materials cost, increased by 47 percent from the beginning of 2022 through the first half of 2025.
“New York’s transportation dollars are already being stretched thin by increased inflation in construction costs, and declining capital investments in the state and local transportation networks will make it harder to complete needed improvements,” said Dave Kearby, TRIP’s executive director. “It will be critical that the state adequately invest in its transportation network in order to provide a system that is smooth, safe and efficient.”
“The TRIP report sheds needed light on the fact that New York State roads and bridges urgently need upkeep, repair, and in many cases, replacement,” said John Evers, president and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York. “Pavement conditions continue to deteriorate, one in 10 bridges are rated in poor/structurally deficient condition, and vehicle operating costs are steadily rising. ACEC New York and its member engineering firms are committed to working with state and local officials to seek a continued increase in public funding required to address needed upkeep and repair of our state’s traffic infrastructure.”