September 2016 column - Road study finds nearly 25 percent of county roads rated ‘poor’

Earlier this week I joined some of my colleagues in the Majority Caucus to discuss road conditions at a press event and bring attention to just a few of the many roadways that need repair. The next day, I met with the Aurora Town Supervisor, Elma Town Supervisor and concerned residents on Maple Road to talk about that stretch of roadway from West Blood to the village.

 

I understand road work is expensive and the county has a lot of it to complete, but my frustrations lay mainly with an administration that doesn’t prioritize infrastructure repairs, and especially not in the rural sections of Erie County. The roadways I highlighted may not have the highest traffic count, making them less important to some officials, but they are incredibly important to the residents, school bus drivers, and emergency responders who use them. I continue to encourage the County Executive and the commissioner of the Department of Public Works to have a long-term road plan and to include rural roadways. The lowest rated roadways are found in rural areas but the longer they are “forgotten” the more dangerous the situation becomes. The 2015 Highway Assessment Survey for Erie County, the seventh comprehensive study done by the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council, found that nearly 25 percent of all county roadways are rated as “poor.”

 

The Legislature is committed to prioritizing road work, and I want to thank my colleagues from the Minority Caucus, some of whom don’t have county roads in their district, for their support and for recognizing the importance of a safe infrastructure. We will continue to work together to urge the County Executive to ensure that every penny allocated by the Legislature for road work is spent on road work, and that state and federal funding made available to the county does not go to waste.

 

In another related manner, I have heard several complaints about the condition of the work being completed by the county and/or its contractors. I experienced some of the issues first hand, including issues with manhole covers on Ridge Road following the reconstruction project. I hope that our crew chiefs will continue to monitor the ongoing projects, which aren’t many, to ensure that when the work is done, it was done to the highest standard possible. We shouldn’t have residents blowing out tires after a major reconstruction project is done.

 

I also wanted to remind residents that I am partnering with local Rite-Aid to offer a Community Flu Clinic for residents who wish to vaccinate against influenza. Each year, the County Department of Health advises most residents to get a flu vaccine. The clinic will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27 at the West Seneca Library, 1300 Union Rd. West Seneca. For additional information, please contact Legislator Lorigo at 858-8922 or email joseph.lorigo@erie.gov.

 

Also, pet owners whose dog or cat is due for a rabies vaccination should plan to attend the county’s final free rabies clinic of the year from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28 at West Seneca Highway Department Garage, 39 South Avenue, West Seneca.