U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney [NY-18] was joined by Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus in New Windsor during a press conference last Thursday celebrating the passage of the Moving Forward Act in the House of Representatives.

The Moving Forward Act is a major infrastructure package worth $1.5 trillion that will send billions of dollars to New York State over the next five years.

Maloney’s bill, the Bridge Investment Act, was included in the Moving Forward Act. This bill will invest $28 billion in repairing America’s more than 47,000 structurally-deficient bridges.

“This is an historic investment in state owned bridges,” said Maloney.
In New York’s 18th Congressional District, 190 bridges are in poor condition, and require major improvements.

The legislation will help jumpstart critical infrastructure and transportation projects in the Hudson Valley. These projects will help create new jobs.

The press conference took place in front of a structurally deficient bridge that crosses the Moodna Creek. The bridge is crossed 24,000 times a day, and was built in 1932. It was last upgraded in the 1980s. It is currently rated “poor” by the Federal Highway Administration. Although still safe to travel, bridges that are rated “poor” require significant rehabilitation and repairs.

According to Maloney, in the entire state there are over 1,700 bridges that are in “poor” condition. Maloney said the issue of investing in infrastructure is bipartisan, fundamental, and important to the future of the Hudson Valley.

“I was so proud to pass the Moving Forward Act, the massive $1.5 trillion bill,” said Maloney. “That will bring New York $23.6 billion in highway and transit funds alone, that’s in addition to billions of dollars in funding for projects to clean up our water, rebuild our schools [and] help our hospitals to do much more.”

The legislation is also expected to bring more than $2 billion in funding to New York State to repair the more than 1,700 deficient bridges statewide.

Maloney is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Chair of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. He pushed for the inclusion of several amendments to the original infrastructure package. Amendments include the reauthorization of the Scenic Byways program, support for more equity in federal transit grants for underserved communities, and the banning of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises from receiving taxpayer-funded highway, transit and rail dollars.

“This influx of cash would help us come back even better than we were before, with good-paying jobs, economic opportunity and real infrastructure,” said Maloney.