Governor says DOT will make ‘unprecedented effort’ to fill potholes
215 DOT crews will fill 175,000 potholes on state roads this month
Photo by Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul: Governor Hochul, center, today joined NYS Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez (left) and Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare in Albany to announce a statewide road improvement effort after a brutal winter caused numerous potholes.
Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office
ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced an unprecedented state effort to fill potholes and repave roads across New York State, following one of the coldest winters in recent memory.
This month, State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) forces will conduct a statewide push to address potholes on state roads. In April, 215 crews will place more than 8,000 tons of asphalt to fill an anticipated 175,000 potholes statewide. Plans are in place to fill hundreds of thousands more as the weather permits over the months ahead.
“We’ve had an unforgiving winter this year in New York, and the frigid cold and heavy snowfall can take a toll on our roads,” Gov. Hochul said. “That’s why we are stepping up with an unprecedented state effort to repave hundreds of miles of roadway and fill hundreds of thousands of potholes in the next few weeks alone. Our outstanding DOT and Thruway crews will not rest until every pothole in this state has been repaired.”
In addition, Governor Hochul highlighted that this week is the official start of paving season in New York, as NYSDOT crews commence the most ambitious year of road improvements in state history. Last October, the Governor announced record state investment to dozens of vital state roadways across New York State during the 2026 construction season. Leveraging the $800 million secured in the FY26 Executive Budget to augment the final two years of its five-year Capital Plan, NYSDOT will invest more than $600 million in more than 180 paving projects across the state to be completed in the upcoming paving season.
These projects, which total almost 2,150 lane miles, are in addition to the paving initiatives already scheduled as part of NYSDOT’s core programs and, taken together, represent the most ambitious annual road resurfacing program conducted in state history, totaling more than 4,000 lane miles of renewed pavement to give New York drivers a smoother, safer ride.
The Governor’s announcement today comes as statewide asphalt plants come online, with paving season beginning in most regions of New York.
New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Our crews have worked tirelessly this winter keeping our roads clear for New Yorkers during a brutally cold, snow and ice-filled winter. Now, as the weather transitions, we are moving from fighting snow and ice to carrying out one of the most robust construction programs in recent memory – anchored by record infrastructure and paving investments from Governor Hochul. Our forces are ready to kick construction into high gear in the coming months, with thousands of miles of smoother rides ahead for people in every region of the state.”
Last year the Department of Transportation forces filled more than 1.3 million potholes on state highways from Long Island to Buffalo and every area in between. From mid-February through April 1, 2026, DOT forces have already laid down more than 1,400 tons of asphalt on state roads across New York, filling more than 28,000 potholes during that period.
Many areas of New York experienced some of the coldest winter seasons in recent memory, with the downstate region seeing its snowiest winter in at least a decade, contributing greatly to the freeze-thaw cycle that forms potholes on roads across New York State. Crews have been out for many weeks now, balancing continued snow and ice response efforts, which began in October, with pothole repairs as the weather has allowed them to do so.
