Hochul Announces $157M To Fix Long Island's Pothole-Pitted Roadways

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Islanders who've had enough of hair-raising, pothole plagued commutes on area roadways have some hope in sight: Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced a $157 million investment in pavement renewal projects islandwide.

The work is expected to take place on some of Long Island's busiest roads this spring and summer, with an aim of easing travel and improving mobility and conditions for both Nassau and Suffolk residents.

A total of 480 lanes of state highways are slated to be resurfaced, including key sections of the Long Island Expressway, the Southern State Parkway, and the Meadowbrook State Parkway. The projects, Hochul, said, are part of her commitment to restoring New York's roads and bridges, which includes her $1 billion "Operation Pave Our Potholes" program, included as part of the $32.8 billion, five-year capital plan in the recently-adopted state budget.

"Long Island has some of the busiest highways in the United States and the investments we are making today will help ensure smoother travel and fewer hassles for the tens of thousands of commuters who use these vital traffic arteries," Hochul said. "With the adoption of this historic capital plan, we will give communities the infrastructure they need to unleash their full potential, enhancing connectivity, restoring essential roads and bridges, and correcting injustices of the past."

Highways being renewed this construction season include a section of the Long Island Expressway in western and central Suffolk County. Crews anticipate renewing 287 lane miles between the Nassau/Suffolk border and State Route 112, or Exit 64, Hochul said.

The $80.1 million project includes the three main travel lanes, the high-occupancy vehicle, or HOV, lane, shoulders, and 62 on and off ramps. An average of 152,000 vehicles travel in that area daily, Hochul said.

The LIE provides connections to nearly every major highway in the region and is vital to Long Island's economy for commuters, tourists and the flow of goods, Hochul said.

In order to reduce the impact on traffic, major work on the LIE, which will begin later this week, will occur during overnight hours; service roads will be utilized for diverted traffic.

Major work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022.

The Meadowbrook State Parkway, considered a gateway to Jones Beach, will also be restored from Merrick Road southward to Ocean Parkway in the Town of Hempstead, Hochul said. Overnight resurfacing of the 23 lane miles is in progress and expected to be completed by Memorial Day, weather permitting. The remainder of the $5.6 million project, including the restoration of the turf shoulders, is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

A $23.9 million pavement renewal project is also starting on a 63-lane-mile stretch of the Southern State Parkway between Exit 20, or Grand Avenue/Baldwin Road, and State Route 110 at the Nassau/Suffolk border, Hochul said.

The project, which is scheduled for "substantial" completion by the end of 2022, builds on last year's resurfacing project that stretched between the Cross Island Parkway at the Queens/Nassau County border and Exit 20, Hochul said.

The Southern State Parkway is among the most heavily traveled roads on Long Island with an average of approximately 200,000 vehicles daily, Hochul said.

Also planned for the Southern State Parkway this year are the restoration of 11 lane miles between State Route 231 and the Sagtikos State Parkway in the Towns of Babylon and Islip; and concrete repairs on 55 entrance and exit ramps in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Hochul said.

Additional pavement restoration projects totaling nearly 30 lane miles on several roads will begin this year. Timing at the sites will vary, but will be completed by the end of 2023. Those plans include:

• State Route 114 between Stephen Hands Path and the Shelter Island South Ferry terminal in Village of Sag Harbor, Village of North Haven, and Town of East Hampton
• State Route 109 between the Nassau/Suffolk border and State Route 27A in the Town of Babylon
• State Route 25A between Lawrence Road and State Route 25 in the Town of Smithtown
• State Route 111 between Suffolk Avenue and the LIE in the Town of Islip
• Sunrise Highway North Service Road between Udall Road and Manor Road in the Town of Islip
• Sunrise Highway South Service Road between Udall Road and Malts Avenue in the Town of Islip.

Lawmakers spoke out on the news. "After years of neglect and decay, our roadways are now at their breaking point, and Long Islanders are fed up with paying for constant and costly vehicle repairs," said New York State Assemblymember Fred Thiele. "This long overdue funding will go a long way towards restoring our roads to the condition we deserve and expect."

Hocul reminded motorists to use caution in work zones. In addition, fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual's driver license, she said.

The pothole problem has grown in past months, according to motorists, elected officials, and automobile repair shops alike. The issue is so pervasive that Hochul, at a January Long Island Association "State of the Region" breakfast, addressed Long Island's potholes directly, specifically those found on the Long Island Expressway.

"I have a personal experience with every single pothole, especially on the LIE," Hochul said, mentioning that she had been sitting in a tire repair shop recently because of a blowout that cost about $500.

"We're coming after the potholes," she said. "Enough is enough."

Hochul said New Yorkers spend about $632 a year because of road damage done to their vehicles.
"Let's just come at this with a vengeance. We are going to go from 'Potholes to Not-Holes,'" Hochul said, adding that she was putting $1 billion behind the effort to pave roadways statewide.

Patch spoke to the New York State Department of Transportation about the plethora of potholes popping up across Long Island.

According to the NYSDOT, potholes are formed primarily due to infiltration of water into pavements through cracks in the surface. Cold weather causes the water to freeze, creating a bulge in the pavement. When the temperature warms above freezing, the pavement surface returns to its original level. Subsequent freeze-thaw cycles weaken the pavement material and a pothole forms. The process repeats itself during subsequent freeze-thaw cycles and potholes become worse and more numerous. Heavy traffic also contributes to the creation of new potholes and the worsening of existing ones.