New York filled in a million potholes this year, a milestone Gov. Kathy Hochul celebrated by grabbing a rake and shovel and pitching in with a maintenance crew repairing craters in the backyard of her Republican challenger in this year’s governor’s race.
Hochul made a stop along Long Island’s Meadowbrook Parkway in Hempstead on Saturday where she dumped asphalt on potholes to tout the state Department of Transportation’s “unprecedented” repair efforts — 180 paving projects across 2,150 lane miles.
“I am absolutely committed to giving New Yorkers smoother, pothole-free roads, and I was honored to do my part in turning a pothole into a not-hole with the DOT team,” Hochul said in a statement on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Was the choice of locations for the photo
op meant as a poke at her challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman? A spokesman said Long Island was where Hochul kicked off her “war on potholes” four years ago.
Hochul has worked to burnish her reputation as "Governor Pothole" during her time in office, using state money to fix crumbling roads and show New Yorkers that she — literally — shares their pain. In January 2022, Hochul promised to spend $1 billion repairing potholes, noting that her travels as lieutenant governor gave her “personal experience with just about every pothole in New York — especially on the Long Island Expressway.”
Blakeman's campaign didn't immediately respond to request for comment.
This year the state DOT spent $600 million fixing potholes and repaving roads.
And after a rough winter, the state’s roads were in tough shape. In April, as the winter cold receded, the DOT repaired some 250,000 potholes. Since January, a total of 4,000 lane miles were repaved or repaired along the Cross Westchester Expressway, Northern State Parkway, Interstate 81, Interstate 490 and Interstate 86, the state says.
Where the potholes are in NY
Here are the region-by-region totals for potholes repaired:
- Capital Region - 75,000
- Mohawk Valley - 43,000
- Central N.Y. - 52,000
- Finger Lakes - 95,000
- Western N.Y. - 88,000
- Western Southern Tier - 42,000
- North Country - 178,000
- Hudson Valley - 150,000
- Southern Tier - 121,000
- Long Island - 156,000
To report potholes on state highways outside New York City, call 1-800-POTHOLE (1-800-768-4653).
“As soon as the snow stopped falling, our maintenance teams shifted into high gear and worked tirelessly to repair and renew our roads,” said DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez. “I can’t thank them enough for their dedication and willingness to work in often hazardous conditions next to high-speed traffic so that the rest of us can travel safely.”
Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA TODAY Network’s New York State team. He’s won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that’s included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@lohud.com
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY repaired 1 million potholes in 2026. See how many in your region
