Nearly half a billion dollars in assistance to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts will soon be available to local governments across New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced Wednesday.

The $483 million is the latest installment of the state's BRIDGE NY initiative, which is meant to harden infrastructure against the effects of climate change by addressing flood risk as well as safety and resilience improvements. 

“New York is already feeling the effects of climate change with ever-more frequent severe weather events that just this year have washed out several key bridges and roadways in our state,” Hochul said in a statement. “The investments we are making through the ‘BRIDGE NY' program will help local governments enhance the safety, resiliency, sustainability, and reliability of their infrastructure, increasing the ability of our bridges to withstand extreme weather events and keep New Yorkers on the move.”

This builds upon the approximately $1.2 billion that has previously been provided to local governments under the BRIDGE NY initiative over the past several years.

The state sent $516 million to 141 communities in July.