A North Country assemblyman believes the North Country isn’t getting fair infrastructure investments from the state.

A recent Siena College Poll indicates New Yorkers overwhelmingly believe upstate New York should be receiving fair funding for infrastructure needs, according to a press release from Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, R,C,I-Black River.

More than two-thirds of voters think that New York should fund both downstate mass transit and upstate roads, for similar amounts, although there is less agreement on how to fund infrastructure spending, with a plurality saying cuts to existing state programs should be the source for most of the money, the Siena College Poll said.

“Fighting for our fair share of infrastructure funding has always been one of my biggest causes on your behalf in the state Assembly,” said Blankenbush, whose district includes the towns of DeKalb, Gouverneur, Hermon, Russell, Edwards, Fowler and Pitcairn in St. Lawrence County. “ Unfortunately, the governor just doesn’t seem to agree with the majority of New Yorkers.”

The governor recently pledged $8.3 billion from the state to help pay for New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Blankenbush said. “This is in addition to the funds for the $4 billion rebuilding of the Tappan Zee Bridge, which has no financial plan, and the $4 billion remodeling of LaGuardia Airport. In total more than $16 billion of our tax dollars will be spent on New York City infrastructure in the coming years.”

“New York City may have many needs, but upstate New York’s roads, bridges, and other infrastructure have been left to deteriorate because of a long history of ignoring the needs of upstate in favor of the city. Our local highway departments do the best they can to keep up, but they need help. They cannot keep up with the demands of our local needs without further burdening local taxpayers,” the assemblyman said.

“I know that little bridges over creeks and rural highways that wind the countryside may not be the exciting projects of the five boroughs of New York City, but they are extremely important to the men and women of this region who live and work here,” Blankenbush said.