New York State Department of Transportation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S. state of New York.
This transportation network includes:
- A state and local highway system, encompassing over 110,000 miles (177,000 km) of highway and 17,000 bridges.
- A 5,000 mile (8,000 km) rail network, carrying over 42 million tons (37.8 million tonnes) of equipment, raw materials, manufactured goods and produce each year.
- Over 130 public transit operators, serving over 5.2 million passengers each day.
- Twelve major public and private ports, handling more than 110 million tons (100 million tonnes) of freight annually.
- 456 public and private aviation facilities, through which more than 31 million people travel each year. It owns two airports, Stewart International Airport near Newburgh, and Republic Airport on Long Island. Stewart is currently leased by National Express Group of Great Britain, the only U.S. airport to have been privatized (although the lease will soon be transferred to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey).
[edit] History
The history of the New York State Department of Transportation and its predecessors spans over two centuries:
- In 1777, the Office of Surveyor-General was reorganized from its colonial Dutch and English beginnings to survey lands that had been vested in the state during and following the Revolutionary war.
- In 1846, the Office of State Engineer and Surveyor succeeded the Surveyor-General's Office.
- In 1878, the Department of Public Works was established with its principal duty to supervise the canals that were begun in 1817 and completed in 1825.
- In 1907, the Public Service Commission assumed responsibility for the economic and safety regulation of privately operated transportation; railroad and bus safety inspection; and, approval for the installation of protection for or elimination of at-grade rail highway crossings.
- In 1909, the New York State Department of Highways was established by the Highway Act.
- In 1923, the Department of Public Works unified responsibility for highways, canals and public buildings.
- In 1967, the New York State Department of Transportation was formed to deal with the state's complex transportation system.
[edit] Organization
The department is comprised of 11 regional offices and 68 county transportation maintenance residencies. Columbia and Tioga Counties were moved to adjacent regions in August 2006, Wayne County was moved from Region 3 to Region 4 in the late 1990s.
NYSDOT regions and the counties they serve are:
- Region 1: Albany, Columbia, Essex, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, Washington
- Region 2: Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida
- Region 3: Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, Tompkins
- Region 4: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, Wyoming
- Region 5: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara
- Region 6: Allegany, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Yates
- Region 7: Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence
- Region 8: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, Westchester
- Region 9: Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan
- Region 10: Nassau, Suffolk
- Region 11: Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond
