State roads riddled with potholes, local officials demand action as cars damaged
Town Supervisor Steve Bedetti said the craters are popping up because of neglect of state roads by the DOT and because state-owned drainage systems near the roads are collapsing.
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New Windsor residents and officials are growing impatient with the New York state Department of Transportation over craters on state-owned roads that criss-cross the town.
"They don't fix them," Orange County resident Matt McCarthy said during an interview at a bar on River Road, a state-owned road. "You just keep slamming them."
Bartender Scarlett Kroger said subpar drainage along the River Road causes flooding, which hides the potholes from drivers.
"When that road gets flooded, you can't see them though," she said, "so it ruins your car even more."
Town Supervisor Steve Bedetti said the craters are popping up because of neglect of state roads by the DOT and because state-owned drainage systems near the roads are collapsing.
When they collapse, road flooding becomes more likely.
When the roads flood, they become damaged.
Bedetti told News 12 he has received many complaints, not about town-owned roads, but about state-owned roads for which the DOT is responsible.
By law, town crews cannot fix those state roads, which include Route 300, Route 207 and River Road.
When News 12 arrived for an interview Friday, Bedetti was on the phone with a DOT representative, explaining the state of the state roads in town.
"It's not that hard," Bedetti told News 12. "We – myself, an assistant of mine and two water department guys – went down there yesterday, just to eliminate that there aren't any water main breaks, no water problems, no sewer problems [on town-owned roads]. It's strictly a New York state problem."
DOT crews have been using cold patch – a temporary fix for potholes that can be erased with some inclement weather combined with moderate traffic – around the town.
A DOT spokesperson said Friday, DOT crews repair more than a million potholes each year statewide, and that drivers should report potholes on state roads to the DOT by calling 800-POTHOLE.
Bedetti said he was told by DOT officials the DOT will repave part of Route 207 this year. Other than that, most potholes will be addressed with cold patch.
