Erie County, New York is mobilizing one of its busiest construction seasons on record. In April 2026, County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Commissioner of Public Works William Geary announced that more than $50 million will be invested in road and bridge work across the county in 2026 — the latest installment in a multi-year effort that has now directed more than $250 million into countywide infrastructure since 2020.

"2026 will be a very busy year for road construction," Poloncarz said at the April announcement in Amherst. "We are also investing heavily in reconstruction projects to improve major routes throughout the county, such as Elmwood Avenue, Borden Road, McKinley Parkway and others. Winter is difficult on our roads and bridges every year and we must respond accordingly to maintain and improve that critical infrastructure."

What $50 Million Looks Like on the Ground

The 2026 program breaks down into several distinct categories of road and infrastructure work, each addressing different levels of deterioration and service need:

• Major reconstruction — over $41.7 million, covering major corridor rebuilds that go down to the road base, install new sewer systems, and address structural failure
• Mill and overlay — more than $3 million, resurfacing 12.85 miles across four highway districts
• Cold recycle with top course treatment — over $3.6 million, covering more than 17 miles of roads in outlying areas
• Oil and chip treatment — $1.5 million across 45.6 miles of rural roads, one of the county's most cost-effective surface preservation methods
• Bridge and culvert projects — dedicated investments across multiple structures, some using federal BridgeNY and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding

"The work we're doing — it's not just filling in a pothole," Poloncarz told WKBW. "It's milling and overlaying, putting new blacktop down. The reconstruction and engineering projects sometimes go down to the base — we're also putting in new sewers."

The Largest Projects in 2026

The single largest investment in the 2026 program is the reconstruction of Elmwood Avenue from Knoche Road to Kenmore Avenue — a 1.45-mile stretch carrying a $9.7 million price tag. Elmwood Avenue serves as one of the primary north-south arterials connecting Buffalo neighborhoods to inner-ring suburbs and carries some of the heaviest daily traffic volumes in the county.

Other significant reconstruction projects include:

• Bailey Avenue (Grover Cleveland to Sheridan Drive, 1.2 miles) — $7.8 million in federal aid funding
• Borden Road Phase III (French Road to Seneca Creek, 1.13 miles) — $7.5 million
• North Forest Road and Bowen Road — $5.5 million
• McKinley Parkway (Quinby Road to Southwestern Boulevard, 2 miles) — $4.7 million
• Maple Road Phase II in Amherst (North Forest to I-290 bridge, 1.5 miles) — $3 million, including the bridge spanning Ellicott Creek
• Greiner Road and Eggert Road (5 miles combined) — $3.5 million

Bridge and Culvert Investments

Bridge and culvert work represents some of the program's most specialized and consequential investments. Deferred bridge maintenance doesn't just cause inconvenience — it can force emergency service rerouting and close critical neighborhood connections. Commissioner Geary emphasized this at the April announcement: "That bridge being out of service or closed really affects emergency services in the redirection — not just of people getting to and from their houses or work, but really responding in an emergency. So we try to do these repairs and keep the bridge open and extend the life of them beyond 50 years."

Key bridge and culvert projects in 2026 include:

• Four Rod Road bridge in Marilla — $2.3 million reconstruction
• Sharp Street bridge in Concord — $1.8 million reconstruction
• Large culvert replacements on Jennings Road, Lein Road, and Belscher Road in Concord, Collins, and West Seneca — $2 million
• Large culvert installation on Back Creek Road in Boston — $2 million
• Multiple bridges funded through the federal BridgeNY program and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Mill and Overlay: Precision Maintenance Across Four Districts

The mill and overlay program — which removes the deteriorated top layer of pavement and lays fresh asphalt — addresses roads that have not yet reached full failure but would deteriorate quickly without intervention. The 2026 program covers roads in all four county highway districts: Concord, Aurora, Harlem, and Hamburg. Highlights include 5.27 miles of Boston State Road in the Hamburg district and Indian Church Road from the Buffalo City Line to Mineral Springs in the Harlem district.

Cold recycle projects — which incorporate existing road material into a new mixed-composition surface — span more than 17 miles across the Clarence, Aurora, Harlem, and Concord districts. This approach is particularly cost-effective for secondary roads that carry lower traffic volumes but need consistent maintenance.

How the Program Is Funded

More than half of the 2026 investment comes directly from county funds, with the remainder drawn from federal programs including the National Highway Performance Program, BridgeNY funding, and the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Erie County 2026 Capital Projects Committee-approved program details individual project funding breakdowns, showing that reconstruction projects on arterials like Bailey Avenue and William Street leverage substantial federal matching funds.

Since 2020, Erie County has invested more than $250 million in roads and bridges. The 2026 program extends that record with coverage distributed across the county — from Amherst and Clarence in the suburbs to Concord, Collins, and Boston in more rural areas — reflecting a commitment to maintaining the county's entire highway network rather than concentrating resources in higher-profile corridors.

What Drivers Should Expect

For residents, the practical implication is lane reductions and temporary delays on major corridors throughout the construction season. County officials confirmed that no full road closures are planned for the 2026 program, though heavily reconstructed corridors like Elmwood Avenue and McKinley Parkway will see sustained construction activity from spring through fall. Work has already begun on some projects, with the rest expected to ramp up as temperatures rise in spring 2026.

Erie County typically works on approximately 100 miles of roadway per year using the combination of strategies deployed in the 2026 program. With Western New York's winters continuing to accelerate pavement deterioration, the consistency and scale of investment remains critical to keeping the county's infrastructure serviceable for residents and businesses alike.

Sources

Erie County Department of Public Works — Official 2026 Program Announcement (April 17, 2026) | WKBW — Erie County $50M Road Plan (April 2026) | Buffalo Toronto Public Media — Road and Bridge Program (April 2026) | Erie County 2026 Capital Projects Committee — Approved Program (PDF)