New York drivers might have been hoping to see some improvements in the condition of their roads and bridges this year, but it appears they (and everyone else in the country) will just have to wait. The latest transportation bill is basically a flat-line budget from last year, and in some cases is actually than it was the year before (as is the case with funding in New York.)

States have little recourse when it comes to the money they get from the federal government. The feds decide how much they will give and that is simply all there is to it. the latest transportation bill is set at $105 billion but that’s still just a drop in the bucket when it comes to how much it is expected to cost to replace aging roadways and failing bridges around the country.

Infrastructure work around the country has taken a backseat to other more pressing problems as defined by Congress. Although there are an abundance of jobs ready to begin, and the potential of employing tens of thousands of people around the country, some in Congress simply do not want the infrastructure of the United States to improve at the cost of their own personal-interest programs.

All of this means a couple things for drivers regardless of what state they live, work or travel in. First, it means road conditions are not likely to greatly improve any time soon, except where there projects are funded by state resources and not the federal transportation bill. And second, they should expect states to begin looking else where for money to help fund much needed transportation projects including traffic citations and tool roads.