Governor Hochul Signs New Legislation Making Transformative Investments in Transportation Infrastructure and Road Safety as Part of FY 2026 Budget

Governor Kathy Hochul today signed new legislation as part of the FY26 Enacted Budget to make transformative investments in transportation infrastructure. The Budget includes historic investments in New York City’s public transportation system, statewide transit, and State and local roads and bridges. The Budget also delivers on the Governor’s promise to make significant investments in modernizing Hudson Valley Rail Service and strengthens protections for highway workers and travelers by extending the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program.

“No matter how they choose to travel, New Yorkers deserve a transportation network they can trust,” Governor Hochul said. “The investments we are making in all modes of transportation today will put New York on a path to a stronger, more resilient future.”

Fully Funding the MTA Capital Plan

In keeping with her record of leading on pro-transit investments, the FY26 Enacted Budget includes the biggest capital investment in New York’s transportation history by fully funding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) $68.4 billion 2025-29 Capital Plan.

The investment will enable the MTA to:

• Start construction of the new Interborough Express (IBX) — a transformative new rapid transit service between Brooklyn and Queens
• Rehabilitate the Grand Central Artery — a four-mile stretch that carries 98 percent of all Metro-North service
• Purchase thousands of new subway and rail cars
• Modernize signals to provide faster, more frequent and more reliable service
• Upgrade maintenance facilities
• Renew electric power systems to enhance reliability
• Repair structurally deficient bridges and tunnels
• Deliver full ADA-accessibility improvements at more than 65 subway and railroad stations
• Make safety enhancements at stations and across infrastructure systems
• Install modern fare gates at more than 150 stations to prevent fare evasion
• Grow its zero-emissions bus fleet to stay on track for a fully-electric fleet by 2040
• Increase resiliency against flooding and protect the Hudson Line against severe weather

As part of the Capital Plan, $6 billion will be allocated to each of the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad.

Modernize Hudson Valley Rail Service

The Budget includes a $25 million investment to plan, evaluate and design a set of Hudson Valley rail capital improvements between New York City and Poughkeepsie that will:

• Increase capacity
• Reduce delays
• Cut potential travel times by up to 15 minutes each way for certain trips and
• Shorten “super-express” Metro-North Hudson Line trips to less than 90 minutes

The improvements will include 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 west of the Hudson River, the State is committing $1 million to perform a transit analysis of opportunities to expand and maximize the impact of rail service and improve commuter transit to New York City as well as key regional destinations.

Investing In Transit

The FY26 Enacted Budget further builds on Governor Hochul's pro-transit record by:

• Investing $349 million — a $16 million increase — for Upstate transit systems and $589 million — a $37 million increase — for Downstate transit systems
• Supporting non-MTA transit systems with $220 million in capital funding
• Providing a $26 million capital appropriation to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) for infrastructure and resiliency improvements

Investing in State and Local Roads and Bridges

The FY26 Enacted Budget includes nearly $7 billion for the fourth year of the record $34.3 billion, 5-year New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Capital Plan. The Budget also includes:

• An additional $800 million to restore purchasing power for NYSDOT’s core highway and bridge construction projects to address rising construction costs and ensure that current projects remain on track
• Record support for local roads and bridges totaling nearly $1.4 billion in each of FY 2026 and 2027
• $648 million for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) — a $50 million year-to-year increase
• $140 million for the State Touring Routes Program
• $100 million for the Pave Our Potholes Program

Building off of the tremendous success of the weigh-in-motion automated enforcement system installed on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to reduce the number of overweight vehicles by 60 percent and protect its sensitive triple cantilever, the FY 2026 Budget expands authorization to use this tool on an additional 14 bridges and roads across the State. By keeping overweight vehicles off of infrastructure designed for far smaller loads, the Budget is extending the useful lives of State facilities and saving taxpayer dollars.

Enhancing Safety for Highway Workers and Users

As part of the FY26 Enacted Budget, the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program has been expanded to include MTA Bridges and Tunnels and NYS Bridge Authority properties and has been extended until 2031. The program, which aims to improve work zone safety for both workers and drivers, was previously set to expire in 2026. The Budget also doubles the number of work zones eligible for participation in the program for both NYSDOT and the NYS Thruway Authority. A majority of the funds collected under this program are reinvested into the work zone safety programs including safety training and public awareness advertising.