Slayton Settlement Road in Royalton is bordered by a dotted white line due to the repeated gouges and potholes in the pavement. Niagara County officials agree it’s among the highest priority county roads for resurfacing, but that’s probably not going to happen soon. State budget delays and ever-changing costs have put the county behind the curve for executing the project.
“We’d like to be out there this year, but realistically, it’s not looking likely,” said Garrett Meal, county commissioner of public works.
Slayton Settlement Road is a busy route north of the Erie Canal for traffic heading from Lockport to Gasport, Royalton and Hartland. The John B. Austin Nature Trail is located on the western end of the road, in the town of Lockport, which was repaved two years ago.
“It’s a priority road and, with the nature trail, it gets a lot of traffic,” said Shawn Foti, Niagara County legislator for the 14th district and a member of the infrastructure committee.
“Right now it’s not funded,” Meal said. “That road is not federally eligible. It’s a costly project. It’s a reconstruction, not just a maintenance job. We need some resources to make that happen. We’ve been struggling with the state to get our ‘Chips’ funds.”
The Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIP) provides state funds to municipalities to support the construction and repair of highways, bridges, highway railroad crossings, and other facilities that are not on the state highway system.
Meal said engineers estimated the cost of reconstructing Slayton Settlement from near Dale Road to Root Road several years ago when the project was designed. Last year, the New York State budget maintained the same level of highway funding going forward.
“The price of construction has just been out of control,” he said. “What we could do two years ago is a lot more than what we can do for that dollar amount this year.”
With the state’s 2025-2026 budget delayed, local officials are standing by while lawmakers in Albany try to come to an agreement.
“It takes years of planning, traffic studies, and road surveys,” said Foti. “Every two years, we do a new road survey. We don’t just wait until a road is at the end of its life to apply. It’s right at the top of the list. We just need more help from the state.”