I was talking with a colleague the other day who said she was heading to Ellicottville to ski and would have stopped to do some shopping in Springville but she decided against taking the detour, due to the old Route 219 Bridge closure, and bypassed the village. Many motorists are making the same decision and the loss of revenue for businesses in Springville is taking a major toll on its owners and their families.

This is yet again another example of New York State Department of Public Works failing to adequately maintain its infrastructure to the point where an emergency closure had to be put in place. As is the case in these situations, it’s the residents and business owners who suffer.

On Tuesday I received an update, nearly a month after the bridge closed, that it would reopen possibly by the beginning of April. This is unacceptable. First I heard it would be six weeks, and now we are looking at 12 weeks. I am very concerned that timeline will be extended again. The DOT still has a lot of questions to answer, such as, why the bridge was allowed to deteriorate to this condition? Why was there a delay in responding to the situation? How are business owners excepted to survive?

New York State cannot allow situations like this to occur. When infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate to the point where immediate closures are necessary then it has failed to reinvest tax dollars.

On Jan. 25 I attended a meeting held by the Springville Business Association and was disturbed by the stories shared by business owners who are losing income. As a business owner I know how important each day of business is to ensuring the longevity of my business and employees. On the same day that business owners aired their concerns, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was in Buffalo, touting his plan to support economic development in the city and surrounding areas. The irony is palpable.  

This isn’t just an issue for local businesses in Springville; this is part of an ongoing tendency found throughout state agencies. The residents have been failed time and time again.  Out of frustration for the DOT, I contacted Senator Charles Schumer, urging him to get involved and assist in any way he can. As I stated in my letter, this is a problem that business owners didn’t create and one they cannot solve on their own.

Not only are we losing access to our roads and bridges, it was recently revealed that we lost funding which affects future projects and threatens additional closures. It has been reported that the DOT made a mathematical error when calculating regional aid allocations for the 2008-09 fiscal year. As a result, WNY was shorted $167 million. If an error occurred, it needs to be corrected so funding can be applied to repairs and maintenance.

I will continue to do what I can to advocate for the immediate repair and reopening of the old Route 219 Bridge, as well as correcting the funding error. If you have any questions, please contact my Legislative Office at 858-8850 or email john.mills@erie.gov.