Gillen: More Funding To Repair Hempstead Town Roads

Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen announced $31.5 million in capital funding for local road reconstruction projects in the town’s 2019 capital plan, which is the largest known investment in the Town’s recorded history.

“Improving the condition of our roads is of paramount importance," Gillen said.

Gillen said that the town is putting $31.5 million toward road reconstruction projects this year, which is a $5 million increase from 2018. The town is also planning to spend more than $157 million on road reconstruction over the next five years, a nearly 60 percent increase of the total planned capital spending for th enext five years.

The capital funding is part of Gillen's commitment to ensuring neglected roads are finally repaired, she said, and avoiding the backlog of capital projects that have plagued the Town of Hempstead in prior years.

“My Administration is focused on finding ways to more timely implement the town’s road reconstruction projects as well as avoid future backlogs," said Gillen. “Filling potholes every year is only a Band-Aid solution; routine maintenance costs far less in the long run than emergency repairs.”

The town filled approximately 70,000 potholes on more than 1,200 miles of roadway in 2018, a statistic that Gillen hopes can be reduced as newer roads -- free from potholes and cracks –- will necessitate fewer ongoing repairs. The town designed and bid out over $17 million in road reconstruction projects in 2018, a dramatic increase from 2016 and 2017, when the town bid $5.5 million and $4.5 million.