GOVERNOR HOCHUL CONTINUES TO ADVANCE TRANSFORMATIVE TRANSPORTATION VISION IN 2025 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

Governor Kathy Hochul today unveiled plans as part of her 2025 State of the State Address, to build on her legacy of advancing transformative transportation projects. The Governor's State of the State includes proposals that would ensure historic investments in New York City's public transit system, modernize rail service across the State with major investments planned for the Hudson Valley Region, invest in statewide transit and roads, reconnect communities divided by infrastructure of the past, enhance safety in work zones by making the Automated Work Zone Camera program permanent and improve safety near elementary schools in New York City.

"Our transportation network is the backbone of New York's economic resilience," Governor Hochul said. "By making smart investments in public transportation, strengthening our roads and bridges, reconnecting communities that have been scarred by bad planning decisions of past generations and enhancing our laws to improve safety across the board, we are driving toward a stronger future for the State of New York."

Major Investments To Support Public Transit

Advance Second Avenue Subway and Other Improvements
Under Governor Hochul's leadership the MTA will advance a number of transformative projects, including the Second Ave Subway Phase 2 extension to East Harlem, modern signal systems on segments of the A/C and B/D/F/M lines for over 1.5 million daily riders, accessibility improvements at more than 20 stations, and hundreds of new electric buses. These and other investments are being funded by New York's first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program, which went into effect on January 5 following the Governor's successful effort to lower the toll by 40 percent, and which will generate $15 billion in mass transportation funding. Congestion pricing is expected to achieve at least a five percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled and a 10 percent reduction in the number of vehicles entering Manhattan's central business district. Governor Hochul is also proposing a package of new measures that will help reduce traffic and air pollution throughout New York City and beyond.

Modernize Rail Service for Faster, More Reliable Travel
Governor Hochul is proposing a major investment in Hudson Valley rail service that will increase capacity, reduce delays and cut potential travel times by up to 15 minutes each way for certain trips, as well as shorten "super-express" Metro-North Hudson Line trips to less than 90 minutes. The proposal includes planning, evaluation and design for a set of rail capital improvements between New York City and Poughkeepsie, including projects such as a second track at Spuyten Duyvil, interlocking, signaling and trackwork at Croton Harmon, and capacity improvements at Poughkeepsie Yard. In addition, the MTA will execute a signaling redesign near Yonkers and climate resilience investments in the most vulnerable and highest ridership segments of the Hudson Line. To further enhance transit options, the State will conduct a transit analysis in Orange County to explore shuttle bus service connecting Port Jervis Line trains to key destinations in the region.

Working With the Legislature To Support a Transformative MTA Capital Plan
Governor Hochul has expressed her full support for the MTA's proposed 2025-2029 capital plan. This plan will modernize signals, order new railcars, rehabilitate stations, improve accessibility, install new fare gates, and protect infrastructure, as well as expand our transit network. To fund the plan, the Governor is proposing a balanced mix of federal, state, city, and MTA contributions in line with historical practice, alongside new revenue sources to be agreed during budget negotiations and cost efficiencies to be achieved by the MTA. This historic initiative will ensure a state-of-good-repair while advancing improvements that will benefit millions of riders.

Strengthening Our Infrastructure and Reconnecting Communities

Reconnect Communities in Albany and the Bronx
Highways like Albany's Interstate-787 and the Cross Bronx Expressway have divided neighborhoods, displaced families and perpetuated inequities for decades. Building on transformative infrastructure projects like the Interstate-81 reconstruction in Syracuse, Governor Hochul will advance plans to reconnect these communities. In Albany, DOT will explore options for projects like the Albany Waterfront reimagining project, moving it into environmental review and conceptual design by the end of the year. In the Bronx, building on the current visioning study, DOT will conduct a planning and environmental linkages study to look at options, including capping portions of the Cross Bronx Expressway, in coordination with New York City and all local stakeholders.

Invest in New York Roads and Statewide Transit
Governor Hochul will restore the purchasing power of New York State Department of Transportation's (DOT) Capital Plan to address rising construction costs, ensuring that current projects remain on track. This investment will slow asset deterioration, maintain critical infrastructure, ensure ability to maintain pavement and support economic stability statewide. Recognizing the importance of investment in local roads, the Governor will propose maintaining funding through the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement and State Touring Route Programs, empowering communities to manage and deliver projects effectively. Furthermore, the Governor will provide new funding to transit systems across the State, strengthening their ability to serve regional needs. These investments will ensure that New York's transportation network remains safe, reliable, and accessible for all.

Safer Streets, Sidewalks and Bike Lanes

Enhancing Safety for Work Zones and Transportation Workers
Work zones remain hazardous, and highway workers face increasing risks, including more than 40 incidents of harassment or assault since 2022. Governor Hochul will propose making the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program permanent and expand it to include MTA Bridges and Tunnels and NYS Bridge Authority properties. Additionally, she will introduce legislation to enhance penalties for assaults against transportation workers, extending protections currently provided to many MTA and retail workers. These actions will improve safety for both workers and drivers.

Improving Safety at New York City's Elementary School Intersections
Crashes at intersections in New York City account for half of all traffic fatalities and 60 percent of pedestrian deaths citywide, with limited visibility near crosswalks being a key contributing risk. Governor Hochul proposes to "daylight" crosswalks near elementary schools in New York City, keeping them clear of vehicle obstructions to protect children at their most vulnerable locations. By ensuring that those intersections are kept clear and visible, Governor Hochul is prioritizing the safety of our kids walking or biking to school as well as school crossing guards subject to dangerous conditions while on the job.

Reclassify Ultra-Heavy Class 3 E-Bikes as Mopeds
The growing use of e-bikes in New York City has underlined the importance that they be used responsibly and safely to avoid accidents involving pedestrians or other road users. While existing regulations limit e-bike width and speed, they do not address maximum weight, which directly correlates with the severity of injuries in accidents. To address this, Governor Hochul will propose reclassifying ultra-heavy Class 3 e-bikes weighing 100 pounds or more as mopeds, requiring a driver's license and registration to operate. This change will keep the heaviest and most dangerous ebikes out of bike lanes, improving safety for pedestrians and other cyclists.

Allow New York City To Lower Speed Limits in Bike Lanes
New York City should have the necessary tools to regulate its streets, including ensuring that the increasing use of e-bikes and micromobility devices is both responsible and safe. Governor Hochul will propose to expand the City's toolbox in this area by granting it express statutory authority to lower maximum speed limits in bike lanes. This change will help the City improve safety for road users and pedestrians while keeping decision-making at the local level best able to regulate New York City's vibrant and complex streetscape.

Today's announcement builds on the Governor's successes over the last year which include:

• Signed a $6.88 billion Capital Investment Grant full funding agreement, signed a $3.8 billion Federal-State Partnership grant agreement, and secured $4 billion in loans from United States Department of Transportation with local funding partners for the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project - the largest federal public infrastructure financing package in American history - enabling the start of major construction on the nation's most vital infrastructure project.
• Advanced early construction of the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 project, a generational project to bring transit equity to East Harlem with new accessible stations.
• Received final and complete approval from the Federal Transit Administration and the City of New York to move forward on the project to replace the aging Midtown Bus Terminal with a world-class facility.
• Signed a $1.6 billion grant agreement for the Metro-North Penn Station Access project, which will create four new stations in the Bronx and save commuters up to 75 minutes daily.
• Advanced design of the Interborough Express project, promising faster travel within and between Brooklyn and Queens by connecting to 17 subway lines and 51 bus routes.
• Began construction and celebrated a $215 million grant award to support the replacement of the aging Livingston Avenue Rail Bridge spanning the Hudson River and improve passenger and freight rail service throughout the Empire Corridor.
• Progressed construction of the initial phase of the Interstate-81 Viaduct Project, which will reconnect disadvantaged communities in the City of Syracuse severed by the construction of the interstate in the 1950s and 1960s.
• Launched New York's nation-leading congestion pricing program featuring a 40 percent reduction in all tolls for vehicles entering the City's Central Business District. The plan also includes new tools to reduce congestion and air pollution in communities citywide while raising $15 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s capital program.

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