NORWICH – Drivers across Chenango County can look forward to smoother commutes this year, as the Department of Public Works lands additional state funding to help repair and maintain local roads.

The Chenango County Department of Public Works(DPW) is slated for $219,000 in additional aid through the NYS Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIP) for 2026-2027. Funding was approved in the $270 billion annual spending plan which was passed by the state legislature in May and provides for an increase in state aid for local governments.

The additional money will bolster the nearly $3.1 million in CHIP funds that Chenango County already anticipates for the coming year.

The state budget also provides funding through the Pave Our Potholes program, which local governments use as supplemental revenue to rehabilitate and reconstruct highways and roads. Operating similarly to CHIP, the program strictly limits funding to highway resurfacing and reconstruction, directly targeting pothole-prone surfaces. The Chenango County DPW will see a $105,800 increase from the program thanks to a state budget measure that allows local governments to roll over unused funds.