Town of Hempstead Officials Announce New Plan to Fix Potholes

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, NY - In response to the many potholes on local roads caused by the snowstorms and changes in temperature, Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony J. Santino announced the Town’s new plan to help with the problem.

Santino’s new “S.W.A.T.(Special Weapons and Tactics) Team” plans to use “Special weapons” including newly added “hot boxes” which transport hot asphalt to pothole sites, along with the ability to “cut and patch” larger sections of damaged roadway with road paving equipment which has also been added to the township’s arsenal to help fix potholes.

There will now be a multi-department response to the problem as opposed to the traditional single department response unit to allow the team to fill more potholes quicker than the traditional approach to potholes.

“Hempstead has assembled a S.W.A.T. Team to win the war on potholes as we respond to the assault that Mother Nature has waged in the form of roadway craters in our neighborhoods,” Santino said, as he filled a pothole with hot asphalt at a Merrick roadside press event. “By adding crews and equipment to fortify the work of town highway crews, we will be able to fill more potholes in a shorter period of time.”

The town has increased the number of trucks dedicated to pothole repair from 18 to 30 over the past couple of years, according to a press release from Santino’s office.

In addition, Santino’s S.W.A.T. Team has increased the number of “hot boxes” by 266 percent, boasting a task force of 24 units, the press release reads.

The boxes store hot asphalt, the material used to repair pock-marked streets. So far, the town has received 288 pothole reports in 2016 and has used 80 tons of asphalt to make road repairs.

In addition, the Town has implemented a newer strategy over the past couple of years to help fix potholes.

Where formerly only highway crews repaired potholes, now two departments - the Parks Department and the Sanitation Department - have joined the highway team.

The manner in which potholes are identified has also been modified.

Previously, town crews responded to resident calls, reporting road damage.

Now, while the town will still respond quickly to those calls, there will be foremen who will be proactively seeking out potholes and reporting those asphalt defects to crews for response.

“Our road repair crews are out working hard to fix the damage that Mother Nature has left in her path,” Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito said. “Additional road repair equipment and newer response strategies are making town roads pothole-free more quickly.”

Residents are encouraged to call Hempstead Town’s Highway Department at (516) 812-3471, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.

The Supervisor and Councilman noted that the town is responsible for repair of township roadways; generally the local residential streets in neighborhoods.

New York State and Nassau County oversee the parkways and most major roads in commercial areas. To report potholes on Nassau County roads, residents are asked to call (516) 571-6900.

For reporting potholes on New York State roads, the state hotline for residents to call is 1-800-POTHOLE. Residents of incorporated villages should call their villages for pothole repair.