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 approximately 43,700 State highway lane miles and nearly 7,900 bridges. In addition, the Department partially funds locally-operated transit systems, local government highway and bridge construction, and rail, airport, and canal programs.

Organization and Staffing

The Department is headed by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation. The Department’s main office is in Albany, with 11 regional offices in Schenectady, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Hornell, Watertown, Poughkeepsie, Binghamton, Hauppauge, and New York City. The Department also maintains highway maintenance and equipment repair facilities across the State.

Employees of the Department perform such activities as highway maintenance, snow and ice removal, highway and bridge design, and construction inspection. In addition, the Department’s staff inspects school and charter buses, regulates commercial transportation, oversees public transportation systems and State-owned airports, and provides administrative support for the Department.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2019 Executive Budget recommends more than $9.8 billion for the Department, a decrease of $2.3 billion from the FY 2018 budget. This year-to-year change primarily reflects reforms in the budget that transfer Payroll Mobility Tax revenues directly to the MTA, and planned scheduling of commitments related to DOT’s historic capital plan.

The Executive Budget includes a workforce of 8,523 FTEs for the Department, an increase of 70 over the amount funded in FY 2018, reflecting increased commitments to snow and ice control, and highway maintenance.

Major budget actions include:

• The Executive Budget provides funding for the fourth year of DOT’s capital plan for the period that began in FY 2016, and reflects significant additional commitments made in the FY 2018 budget. These investments will support needed improvements to New York State’s highways, bridges, rail, aviation, and non-MTA transit infrastructure.
• The FY 2019 Executive Budget proposes to move costs associated with DOT’s snow and ice removal program, along with the administration of three safety inspection programs from the DHBTF to the State’s General Fund. Costs related to road and bridge repair, engineering, capital planning, maintenance of assets, and other activities related to DOT’s capital plan will continue to be funded from the DHBTF. This proposal is the continuation of an effort to more accurately account for certain types of expenses. Accordingly, the FY 2019 Executive Budget reflects the movement of $376 million in non-capital costs to the General Fund.
• The Executive Budget provides operating support totaling almost $5.4 billion to transit systems. The MTA will receive almost $4.9 billion (a combination of on-budget and off-budget resources), an increase of $334 million from FY 2018, and other transit systems will receive a record-high $525 million of annual operating assistance. The Budget funds half of the MTA's Subway Action Plan, begins moving the Payroll Mobility Tax to off-budget status, and includes an $8 million appropriation for transit service over the Mario M Cuomo Bridge.
• Capital Aid to Local Governments for highway and bridge projects is preserved at FY 2017 levels, with $438.1 million provided for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and $39.7 million for the Marchiselli program. The Budget also continues the State’s commitment to providing $100 million for local bridge projects through the BRIDGE NY program, and $100 million for local highway improvements through the PAVE NY program.

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)

Program Highlights

Highway Construction and Maintenance: Improving the State’s vital transportation infrastructure remains the agency’s highest priority. During 2016-17, the Department replaced or rehabilitated a total of 330 State bridges, and completed 5,417 corrective and preventive bridge treatments to slow deterioration. In addition, 1,687 lane miles of State highway were resurfaced or reconstructed. Construction of virtually all highway and bridge projects is performed by private firms, while most corrective and preventive maintenance activities are performed by DOT staff.

Engineering: State staff and private-sector consultants perform the planning, property acquisition, design engineering, environmental reviews, surveying, materials and soils testing, and construction inspection necessary to deliver the Department’s capital program.

Local Highway Aid: The State makes a significant investment in helping localities maintain safe roads and bridges through the CHIPS, Marchiselli, BRIDGE NY and PAVE NY programs. The CHIPS program provides aid to cities, counties, towns and villages on a formula basis, while the Marchiselli program helps local governments meet required matching requirements on Federally funded projects. The BRIDGE NY and PAVE NY programs were created in the FY 2017 budget, and provide additional State aid for local bridge and highway projects.

Transportation Safety and Environmental Compliance: Department staff perform safety inspections of school buses throughout New York State. In addition, the Department administers safety and emissions inspections of commercial trucking on State highways, as well as a comprehensive program to ensure public safety along the State’s commercial rail corridors.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/16/2018