Transportation, Department of

Agency Web Site: https://www.dot.ny.gov/index

Mission

It is the mission of the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure its customers – those who live, work and travel in New York State – have a safe, efficient, balanced and environmentally sound transportation system.

The DOT directly maintains and improves the State’s more than 38,000 State highway lane miles and over 7,600 bridges. In addition, the Department partially funds locally-operated transit systems, local government highway and bridge construction, and rail, airport, and canal programs.

Budget Highlights

The Executive Budget recommends nearly $9.2 billion for the Department, a decrease of over $400 million from the 2012-13 budget. This net year-to-year change primarily reflects increases in transit aid, additional New York Works funding for core and other transportation infrastructure, offset by decreases attributable to non-recurrence of the 2012-13 New York Works infrastructure funding, and savings from programmatic and operational efficiencies.

The Executive Budget funds a workforce of 8,337 FTEs for the Department, a decrease of 155 FTEs from the 2012-13 budget. The decrease primarily reflects the transfer of staff to the Office of Information Technology Services (133 FTEs) as well as reductions in the State workforce due to attrition (22 FTEs).

Major budget actions include:

• New York Works Infrastructure Investment. The Executive Budget includes $300 million of new State funding under the New York Works program to maintain, repair and replace critical highway, bridge and other transportation infrastructure, and to prolong the useful life of these assets. Funded components include $200 million for core infrastructure improvements throughout the State, and $100 million for all modes of transportation infrastructure to be awarded competitively through the Regional Economic Development Councils to help leverage private investment and encourage regional economic development.
• Operational and Administrative Efficiencies. DOT will implement a range of efficiencies through attrition, restacking and shared services opportunities, reductions in maintenance non-personal services, and savings from prior estimates of needed Amtrak corridor subsidies.
• Increased Transit Aid Levels. The Executive Budget proposes $4.75 billion of transit aid appropriations, an increase of almost $319 million over prior year levels. The MTA appropriations total nearly $4.3 billion, an increase of over $295 million. This includes General Fund support of approximately $307 million to offset the revenue impact of the recent payroll tax reform on the MTA’s 2013 fiscal year. Other systems in the downstate region will receive $285 million, an increase of over $23 million. Upstate transit systems will receive $175 million, maintaining SFY 2012-13 levels. In order to support the recommended aid levels, the Executive Budget proposes to statutorily allocate the statewide Transmission Tax between the upstate and downstate transit accounts, in accordance with population within the applicable areas.
• Transit Debt Service Payment. The Executive Budget transfers $20 million from the Mass Transportation Operating Assistance (MTOA) account to pay debt service on bonds previously issued for the MTA capital program.
• MTA Reimbursement for Rockaway Bridge Tolls. The Executive Budget includes over $2.5 million to reimburse the MTA for the costs associated with the suspension of tolls on the Rockaway Bridges. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused massive damage to the Rockaways, which required extensive rehabilitation efforts. New York State agreed to reimburse the MTA for the costs associated with suspending the tolls on the Rockaway Bridges to ease travel during the recovery period.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Transportation (PDF)

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/22/2013

Click for additional detailed appropriation tables