Erie County Legislature Chairman John Mills, Majority Leader Joseph Lorigo and Legislator Edward Rath held a press conference on Sept. 20, 2016 in the Town of Boston on Springville Boston Road to bring attention to the poor condition of roadways throughout Erie County.

“We are here today to request that the County Executive spend the funding that was designated for road work this year. With the amount of roads we have in extremely poor condition, there are no excuses to carry this funding over. The projects need to be completed for the safety of motorists,” said Chairman Mills. “Today we stand on Springville Boston Road, a roadway that the administration has ignored for years. However, I was told by the County Executive himself that funding is available and there is no reason to delay. For years residents have dealt with deplorable roadways. The shoulders are also extremely treacherous. Striping is faded. They are deteriorating at a rapid rate. The county needs to fix these roads and they need to fix them right.”

The Chairman’s office recently received a petition with 115 signatures from concerned residents demanding that Springville Boston Road be repaired. A major thoroughfare for that section of Erie County, the roadway was recently rated a 4-5, which is “poor,” in the 2015 Highway Assessment Survey for Erie County, which was the seventh comprehensive study done of the entire Erie County highway system by the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council.

The same report found that nearly 25 percent of county roads were rated as “poor.”

“The County Executive has failed in his responsibility to fix roads in Erie County. Today I call on him to prioritize this critical road work this year and in the future to protect the public safety of the residents. Each and every day the residents of our communities are reminded of the horrible road conditions. Please, Mr. County Executive, listen to their calls for improvements right away,” said Legislator Rath.

“Rural roads have been ignored by this administration for far too long. All residents of Erie County deserve safe and reliable infrastructure. I have advocated for several years to fix many of these roads. It’s time the County Executive makes their improvements a priority,” added Majority Leader Lorigo.