Oswego Receives $50,000 Grant for Culvert Repair and Replacement Planning

OSWEGO – The City of Oswego has secured $50,000 in grant funding through the 2026 Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source and MS4 Planning Grant (NPG) program to advance critical infrastructure improvements and address several of the City’s most significantly damaged culverts.

The grant will allow the City to hire a qualified engineering firm to evaluate and develop repair and replacement designs for up to five of the City’s most critically damaged culverts. The identified locations include:

• 500 W. 1st Street
• 714-715 E. Seneca Street
• 106 City Line Road
• 272 Mitchell Street
• 521 W. 5th Street

These locations have been identified as priorities due to deterioration, erosion, drainage concerns and structural deficiencies that pose potential risks to public safety, roadway reliability and the City’s infrastructure.

The project will include a comprehensive assessment of the identified stream crossings, examining existing conditions, structural integrity, erosion, drainage concerns and potential risks. A New York State-licensed professional engineer will use the assessment findings to develop repair or replacement concepts, conduct hydraulic analyses and prepare preliminary cost estimates. The work will also help establish project priorities and provide the City with a recommended capital improvement sequence to guide future construction efforts.

Several of the City’s crossings have exceeded their intended service life and are experiencing significant deterioration, including damaged culvert bottoms, heavily corroded structures and erosion-related washouts. In some locations, these conditions have contributed to roadway concerns, including sinkholes and voids beneath the pavement. Addressing these deficiencies through professional engineering assessments and planning will help the City identify appropriate solutions before conditions worsen and more costly emergency repairs become necessary.

The $50,000 grant award will be supplemented by a $5,000 City match, bringing the total project funding to $55,000. The funding will support the planning, engineering and design work necessary to position the City to pursue future funding opportunities and move these critical infrastructure improvements toward construction.

“Maintaining our City’s infrastructure and addressing these areas of concern before they become larger problems is an important responsibility,” said Mayor Robert A. Corradino. “This grant funding is great news for Oswego and gives us an opportunity to take a proactive approach to some of our most critically damaged culverts. Having the necessary engineering assessments and repair designs completed will help us plan responsibly, prioritize these projects and pursue additional funding to make these much-needed improvements a reality.”

The City of Oswego recognizes the importance of investing in its infrastructure and continues to pursue grant opportunities that help reduce the financial burden on local taxpayers while addressing essential improvements throughout the community.

The grant-funded project will focus on engineering assessments, planning and design. Construction work is not included in this phase.