Funding to Maintain
Dutchess County Public Transit, LaGrange, New York
Moving Dutchess Forward seeks to create a safe and reliable transportation system that provides access to our basic needs – but that’s not possible if our existing infrastructure is in disrepair, so funding for maintenance is essential. We estimated the funding needed to maintain our transportation system based on five main components: roads, bridges, transit, sidewalks, and rail trails. For each component, we developed planning-level costs for short-term (2027-2030), mid-term (2031-2040), and long-term (2041-2050) periods. We also calculated costs by ‘year of expenditure,’ assuming three percent annual inflation.
Roads
We tend to have a visceral relationship with our roads – we can feel poor pavement when driving a vehicle or riding a bus, get uneasy when bicycling or walking on a narrow shoulder, and experience the headaches of navigating an intersection when a traffic signal stops working. Road maintenance is essential to a functioning, safe, and reliable transportation system.
To estimate our road maintenance costs, we focused on two components: pavement condition (how much funding is needed to keep our roads in good shape?) and road operations (how much funding is needed to keep everything on our roads working properly?).
For pavement costs, we looked at pavement conditions for state, county, and local federal-aid eligible roads. We assumed that roads currently in poor or fair condition will require repaving during the planning period. Based on this assessment, we estimated that about 708 lanes miles of federal-aid eligible roads will need to be repaved through 2050, which includes 315 miles on National Highway System (NHS) roads. This would require repaving about 28 lane miles per year.
We estimated the cost of repaving these federal-aid eligible roads using a repaving cost of $250,000 per lane mile, based on estimates from NYSDOT. We assumed a single-course asphalt overlay for planning purposes and adjusted annual costs to account for inflation. For federal-aid roads only, we estimate a total paving cost of more than $30 million for the short-term, $94 million for the mid-term, $126 million for the long-term, and $251 million for the entire planning period.
But road maintenance is more than just good pavement. Agencies must make roads function safely and reliably by maintaining drainage, replacing traffic signals, repainting lane markings, replacing signs, fixing guiderails, and so on. We estimated these maintenance costs based on how much NYSDOT spends across the region on these types of projects, as shown in our Capital Program (TIP). We then estimated how much is spent in Dutchess County based on our historical share of highway funding in the region (about 15 percent in Dutchess). We also included road maintenance costs from County Public Works. As with our pavement needs, we focused on federal-aid eligible roads.
Based on this, we estimate road maintenance costs of $71 million for the short-term, $219 million for the mid-term, $295 million for the long-term, and $585 million for the entire planning period.
Combining our repaving and road maintenance costs, we estimate a total road cost of $101 million for the short-term, $313 million for the mid-term, $421 million for the long term, and over $836 million for the entire planning period.
Road Repaving Needs
| Total Lane Miles1 | |
|---|---|
| National Highway System (NHS) | 315 |
| Other Federal-Aid Roads | 393 |
| Total | 708 |
1 Assumes federal-aid eligible roads in poor or fair condition will be repaved by 2050.
Bridges
Bridges play an essential role in our transportation system, but most of us don’t think about them until they stop functioning. A lengthy closure, weight restriction, or temporary flooding can severely disrupt travel, which is why agencies pay close attention to bridge maintenance.
To estimate our bridge maintenance costs, we focused on two components: preventative maintenance (how much is needed to do minor bridge repairs?) and replacements (how much is needed to replace bridges in poor condition?).
Preventative maintenance includes replacing decks, washing and painting structures, and rehabilitating piers, columns, and beams. This work is usually part of an agency’s annual maintenance budget and work program. For routine bridge maintenance, we estimated needs based on how much is currently spent annually to maintain bridges on the federal-aid system across the county. Extrapolating these annual costs, we estimate bridge maintenance costs of over $20 million for the short term, $63 million for the mid-term, $85 million for the long-term, and almost $149 million for the entire planning period.
An agency may need to replace a bridge if it is in very poor condition. To estimate our bridge replacement costs, we assumed that any bridge rated as ‘poor’ would need to be replaced by 2050. We identified 51 bridges (about 14 percent of road bridges in the county) in poor condition. 24 are on federal-aid roads (12 of these are on the National Highway System-NHS and owned by NYSDOT). The other 27 bridges are on non-federal aid roads – what we call ‘off-system’ bridges – typically county or locally owned. In general, NHS and other federal-aid bridges are given higher priority for federal funds than off-system bridges.
To estimate the cost of replacing these bridges, we used a rate of $1,000 per square foot of deck area, based on estimates from NYSDOT. We then calculated the average deck area of the 51 bridges rated as poor and applied the per foot rate to estimate our bridge replacements costs, assuming a replacement cycle of two bridges per year. Using these assumptions, we estimate bridge replacement costs of $35 million for the short term, almost $109 million for the mid-term, $146 million for the long term, and more than $289 million for the entire planning period.
Combining our bridge maintenance and replacement costs, we estimate a total bridge cost of almost $56 million for the short term, $172 million for the mid-term, $231 million for the long term, and about $459 million for the entire planning period.
Bridge Replacement Needs
| Number of Bridges 1 | Total Deck Area 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| National Highway System (NHS) | 12 | 101,145 |
| Other Federal-Aid Roads | 12 | 28,381 |
| Non-Federal Roads | 27 | 49,308 |
| Total | 51 | 178,834 |
1 Assumes bridges in poor condition will be replaced by 2050
2 Shown in Square Feet
BRIDGES TAKE TIME AND MONEY
Bridges take time to plan, design, and build. They can also be very expensive, so agencies plan well in advance to find funding for repairs – usually through capital bonds or federal and state grants. The capacity of agencies and their contractors and the availability of materials are also limited. For example, County Public Works can comfortably replace about three bridges a year, which means bridge repair projects need to be spread out.
A NOTE ON OUR METHODOLOGY
When we estimated bridge replacement costs, we did not include bridges already programmed on our Capital Program (TIP) or those planned for replacement in the next four to five years. We also did not include NYS Bridge Authority or MTA-owned bridges given their unique nature and function.
Transit: Dutchess County Public Transit
Local bus service provides an essential lifeline to many residents, especially those who do not own a vehicle or cannot drive. Maintaining that service is critical to promoting a safe and reliable transportation system that provides access to basic needs.
We estimated local transit funding needs based on data provided by County Public Transit. This focused on two components: capital needs (e.g., vehicle replacements) and operational needs (e.g., staff, maintenance, fuel, etc.). Using Public Transit’s current fleet inventory, we estimated when each of its 61 vehicles would need to be replaced by 2050. Due to FTA useful life mandates, which range from 7-12 years, some vehicles will need to be replaced twice and even three times during the planning period. Operational costs were similarly extrapolated out to 2050 based on recent cost trends (e.g., over $14 million in 2024), using three percent annual inflation. We also assumed no changes to the scope of current fixed routes or demand response services.
Short-term, we estimate operating costs of $61 million and capital costs of $21 million, for a total cost of $82 million. Mid-term, we estimate operating costs of almost $189 million and capital costs of almost $51 million, for a total cost of about $240 million. Long-term, we estimate operating costs of about $254 million and capital costs of about $57 million, for a total cost of almost $311 million. For the entire planning period, this equates to a total operating cost of $504 million and capital cost of $129 million, for a combined total of $633 million.
Transit Needs
| Short-Term (2027-2030) | Mid-Term (2031-2040) | Long-Term (2041-2050) | Planning Period (2027-2050) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Costs | $21 | $51 | $57 | $129 |
| Operating Costs | $61 | $189 | $254 | $504 |
| Total | $82 | $240 | $311 | $633 |
PASSENGER RAIL NEEDS
You’ll notice that we don’t include passenger or commuter rail maintenance needs in this section. This is due to the regional scope of rail services in our area, which makes it difficult to calculate capital and operational needs specific to Dutchess County.
For Amtrak service, states are responsible for the capital and operating cost of routes 750 miles or shorter. In Dutchess County, New York State funds all Amtrak service except for the Lakeshore Limited, which is a long-distance route funded by the federal government. NYSDOT and Amtrak also have access to Federal Railroad Administration grants, including the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair and the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program.
Despite our limited role in rail service, we will continue to work with rail operators to maintain safe and reliable rail service in the county and to support federal funding for these services. Train Access improvements are addressed under our Investment Priorities.
Walking: Sidewalks
Sidewalks provide a healthy, economical, and pollution-free alternative to driving, but like our roads and bridges, they need to be adequately maintained.
To estimate county-wide needs for sidewalk maintenance, we reviewed our recent pedestrian plans, which inventory local sidewalk systems and classify sidewalk conditions as excellent, good, fair, or poor. On average, we identify about 16 percent of sidewalks as being in fair or poor condition. We applied this average to the 325 miles of sidewalks along streets in the county (excluding interior sidewalks, such as on campuses, in cemeteries, and at residential complexes). Based on this, we estimate that about 52 miles of sidewalk should be replaced. While good and excellent condition sidewalks will deteriorate over time, we assumed only one cycle of replacement over the planning period, based on a common assumption of a 25-year life for sidewalks.
We used the NYSDOT Quick Estimator Tool’s cost for a five-foot sidewalk with curb ($255 per linear foot) to estimate replacement costs. Based on this, we estimate total sidewalk maintenance costs of over $11 million for the short term, $35 million for the mid-term, $48 million for the long term, and more than $95 million for the entire planning period.
Bicycling: Rail Trails
Our county is home to a network of rail trails that serves both transportation and recreational purposes. As with other forms of transportation, keeping our rail trails in good shape is an important maintenance need.
Dutchess County has almost 50 miles of rail trails (including the Dutchess, Maybrook, and Harlem Valley rail trails, the Walkway Over the Hudson and the Northside Line). Based on the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s 2022 assessment on Routine Trail Maintenance, we assumed an annual maintenance cost of about $7,800 per mile, or almost $390,000 for the system. We estimate total maintenance costs of about $1.7 million for the short term, $5.1 million for the mid-term, $6.9 million for the long term, and almost $16 million for the entire planning period.
What’s our total need?
If we look at all our needs, we estimate a total funding need of $253 million for the short-term, $766 million for the mid-term, $1 billion for the long term, and over $2 billion for the entire planning period – huge numbers that speak to how much it really takes to maintain our transportation system.
Total Estimated Needs
| Short-Term (2027-2030) | Mid-Term (2031-2040) | Long-Term (2041-2050) | Planning Period (2027-2050) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roads | $102 | $314 | $421 | $836 |
| Bridges | $56 | $172 | $231 | $459 |
| Transit (Bus) | $82 | $240 | $311 | $633 |
| Walking (Sidewalks) | $12 | $36 | $48 | $95 |
| Bicycling (Rail Trails) | $1.7 | $7 | $7 | $16 |
| Total | $254 | $767 | $1,018 | $2,039 |