Some 'Immediate' Relief Coming For Residents' Middle Country Road Woes, Pols Say

SELDEN, NY — Sen. Dean Murray’s office says that after many months of discussions with the state’s Department of Transportation’s Region 10 officials, an agreement was reached to expedite the NY25 Asphalt Pavement Resurfacing NY347 to Adirondack Drive project, bringing some resolution to the neighborhood’s pothole woes.

The DOT has agreed to put the project into the five-year Highway/Bridge plan, and as the road conditions continued to deteriorate this winter, Murray and his colleague in the Assembly, Assemb. Doug Smith, “ramped up” discussions with the region’s director, Richard Causin, who agreed to move the project up by two years to start in 2028, according to Murray.

As this year's harsh weather caused even more damage to the roads, they continued to work with Causin, urging him to start the project as soon as possible, and the urgency was recognized, Murray said.

Causin has also agreed to spend around $300,000, under an existing where and when contract, to use a contractor that will fill potholes and perform maintenance duties on five particularly bad portions of Middle Country Road, between Route 347 and Adirondack Drive, according to Murray.

Those areas include portions of Middle Country between Adirondack Drive and Dare Road, between North Evergreen to Boyle Road, and between Highview Lane to Marshall Drive.

Middle Country Road between Crown Acres to Hammond Lane and CR97 to Paula Avenue are also included.

The remaining areas that are not being handled by the contractor, will be maintained and handled in-house by DOT personnel.

Murray wanted to be clear that the pothole fixes are temporary and are part of a two-pronged project to address the roadway's issues that residents have been complaining about recently.

“It's basically an immediate triage,” he said. “Let's stop the bleeding. Let's fill this in and get everything stabilized, and then we'll do the actual work when we're ready.”

“Understand something, this stretch of area is one of the most developed areas you'll find in the state of New York,” he said. “You've got everything from apartment complexes to car washes, cigar shops, to you name it – it's all there.”

There are over 330 Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps for pedestrians along the route, which will have to be included in the new design, and then put together first, Murray explained.

“That's why it was physically impossible for the project to start this year,” he added.

Patch has reached out to the DOT for comment.

Murray says the bidding process for the resurfacing project will begin in December of 2026, which will result in the winning bidder maintaining the roadway over the course of next winter while also allowing them to start some of the non-paving prep work early.

The actual paving work will begin in conjunction with the start of the paving season in the late Spring of 2027, he said.

Murray applauded the DOT’s decision, and said he appreciates Causin's “willingness to not only listen, but to work with us to find solutions.”

“To get a major project such as this into the 5-year plan and then have it moved up multiple times to its earliest possible time, is certainly no easy feat,” he said. "This is what happens when we have residents, community leaders, first responders and elected officials on all levels, working together.”

Smith also said he appreciates the DOT “for responding to local concerns and advancing the timeline for paving on Middle Country Road.”

“This work will help address the deteriorating conditions and improve safety for drivers, families and first responders who all use this roadway daily," he added.

In the meantime, Murray said he wants to remind residents that if they come across an open pothole on a state road that needs filling, to call 1-800-POTHOLE to report it.